Opening arguments were heard Monday in the trial of the man accused of fatally beating an 18-month-old boy.

Prosecutors say 26-year-old Lord Pardo showed a depraved indifference to human life when he allegedly killed his girlfriend's son in 2015. As News 12 has reported, Pardo is accused of severely beating the child, Mason Robinson, at a home in Uniondale.

According to prosecutors, Pardo was babysitting the toddler and his own 3-week-old daughter when the beating occurred. He allegedly did nothing while the little boy slowly bled to death, then drove the dead child to his mother's job and claimed he couldn't wake the child up.

The medical examiner said the toddler suffered a fractured skull, punctured lung and severed liver.

Defense attorney Jeff Groder says Pardo never beat the toddler. He says the child was injured when he fell off of a bed and then again, out of Pardo's arms. The defense attorney noted Pardo had watched the child several times without incident, and says it would be "out of character" for his client to hurt the boy.

The trial is expected to last several weeks. If convicted, Pardo faces 25 years to life in prison.