In Michigan, Burton man competent to stand trial for shaking, injuring 'miracle baby' | Shaken Baby Syndrome

A 19-year-old Burton man has reportedly been found competent to stand trial after authorities say he severely injured a 14-month-old child by shaking him.


Zachary J. Robinett is reportedly charged with first-degree child abuse after the baby suffered numerous bruises to head and body, a skull fracture and bleeding in the brain.

He was reportedly ruled competent to stand trial Tuesday in Genesee District Court.

Court records reportedly show that an intention to assert an insanity defense has also been filed in the case.

The baby was reportedly found unresponsive after police were called to a home on Chicory Lane near Meadowcroft Drive on Feb. 11 in Burton. The baby was taken to a local hospital.

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said previously that Robinett was left alone with the baby after the child's mother went to work. It appears to be a case of shaken baby syndrome, the prosecutor added.

"Doctors are referring to him as a miracle baby," said Leyton. "At first, they weren't sure he was even going to live."

Robinett is reportedly scheduled to be back in court June 12 for a preliminary exam.

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If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at http://www.keanelaw.com

In Nebraska, Baby boy's injuries include broken ribs | Shaken Baby Syndrome

Omaha police are reportedly investigating the parents of an Omaha infant recently hospitalized with three fractured ribs and injuries to his head and body.

Hospital officials reportedly said the abuse was consistent with shaken baby syndrome.

No criminal charges have reportedly been filed against the baby boy's parents, but he and his siblings — ages 1- and 7-years-old — were removed from their custody.

A Douglas County Juvenile Court judge will determine this morning whether the children will remain in foster care.

The 1-month-old boy was reportedly taken by ambulance from home to Children's Hospital & Medical Center about 4:15 p.m. on May 22 because he was choking, according to court documents.

While being treated, doctors reportedly discovered the extent of the infant's injuries: fractures to three ribs, bilateral bleeding in the head, retinal hemorrhages and potential fractures to his knee.

Hospital officials said the baby has since been released.

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If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at http://www.keanelaw.com

In New Mexico, Questa man charged with allegedly shaking baby | Shaken Baby Syndrome

A Questa man is reportedly being held on $50,000 cash bond amid allegations that his shook his infant son, causing serious brain injuries to the child.

Damian Stow, 19, has been charged with one count of intentional child abuse resulting in great bodily harm in the May 19 incident.

According to the probable cause statement reportedly filed by New Mexico State Police, Agent Matthew Martínez responded to Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque after doctors there suspected the three-week-old boy had been shaken.

Doctors at Presbyterian told Martínez that the child had “intercranial pressure caused by internal bleeding  in the front and rear of the skull.” In addition, doctors told Martínez they found “no fractures to suggest blunt force trauma” to the child. Doctors told Martínez it was their professional opinion that hemorrhaging in both of the baby’s eyes led them to believe that the child was “shaken in a front-to-back motion.”

While the child was reportedly undergoing tests to rule out spinal meningitis as a cause of the pressure, doctors told Martínez they were unable to perform a spinal tap or an MRI on the child because he kept having seizures.

Dr. Lisa Petersen, Presbyterian’s child abuse specialist, told Martínez that in a previous interview with Stow and the child’s mother, Stow had “minimal interaction during the interview and was focused on eating a sub sandwich.” The child’s mother, Petersen told police, said that Stow had been the child’s primary caregiver while she worked.

In an interview with police, Stow reportedly said that the 3-week-old had been congested and had had trouble breathing. The previous Tuesday (May 15), they’d taken the baby to the doctor to address the problem, Stow said. Stow claimed that on Friday, the baby had trouble breathing and “not much of appetite.” Stow said he put the baby down around 8 p.m. and when he tried to wake the child about an hour later, the baby was “limp but breathing.”

When the mother reportedly returned home from work around 11 p.m. and tried to feed the baby, she noted that he was “pale and remained limp and unresponsive,” which prompted them to take him to Holy Cross Hospital, where he was later airlifted to Presbyterian’s Pediatric Intensive Care ward.

In his interview with police, Stow reportedly demonstrated how he’d bounced his son on his shoulder, admitting that he’d bounced the baby “much harder than he’d demonstrated, although he didn’t have the strength at that moment to demonstrate the actual force used.”

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If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at http://www.keanelaw.com

In Louisiana, Marrero dad indicted in death of his 3-month-old daughter | Shaken Baby Syndrome

A Jefferson Parish grand jury reportedly indicted a Marrero man Thursday in the death of his 3-month-old daughter, who died from what authorities say was "shaken baby syndrome." Raymond Riego Jr., 39, was charged with second-degree murder, accused in the Jan. 30 death of Madison Nicole Hughes.

The incident reportedly happened Jan. 26 or Jan. 27, inside an Annette Drive home belonging to her mother's family. Riego is originally from Buras but apparently was residing at the home, authorities have said.

The infant's maternal family reportedly told the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office she slept with Riego overnight. But early on Jan. 27, a relative who went into Riego's bedroom noticed the infant "was limp, gasping for air," Detective Travis Eserman testified during a March 12 hearing in the 24th Judicial District Court.

She was later reportedly declared brain dead, caused by "unaccidental trauma," Eserman testified. The autopsy confirmed "closed head trauma consistent with shaken baby syndrome," he testified.

Riego was initially booked with second-degree cruelty to a juvenile, then reportedly booked with an additional murder charge after Madison died. The Jefferson Parish district attorney's office declined to pursue the cruelty charge, "because that's encompassed in the murder charge," Assistant District Attorney Sunny Funk said.

Riego reportedly admitted he shook the baby, but only after the autopsy, Eserman testified. "He told us he knew we wound find something at autopsy," Eserman testified. "He knew that he caused it."

Riego is held in the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in lieu of a $1 million bond, Funk said. His case has been assigned to Judge Hans Liljeberg's court, records show. The case record does not reflect whether he has an attorney. His arraignment is expected to be Friday.

Second-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence with no probation, parole or suspended sentence.

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If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at http://www.keanelaw.com

In Illinois, Prosecutor says Fairview Heights heroin user admitted shaking baby | Shaken Baby Syndrome

Opening statements reportedly began Tuesday afternoon in the first-degree murder trial of a Fairview Heights man accused of using heroin while killing a 5-month-old girl.

St. Clair County Assistant State's Attorney Nicole Rice said Kenneth Zook, 26, admitted to shaking Alayna Frazier on Feb. 17, 2008, and demonstrated to police how he shook her.

Rice said Zook confessed, "I shook the baby ... I (expletive) shook her because she wouldn't stop crying."

"He shook her five times," Rice said.

"Then, ladies and gentlemen, she stopped crying. Then, she stopped breathing."

Rice said doctors believe Alayna's injuries were indicative of "purposeful trauma" or "nonaccidental trauma."

Alayna was reportedly found on the floor of her mother's apartment at 1001 Belle Valley Drive in Belleville. She later died at Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center in St. Louis.

Defense attorney Thomas Q. Keefe III argued that the baby's injuries were inconsistent with shaking, and that the jury should hold Zook responsible for involuntary manslaughter, not first-degree murder.

On the day in question, Zook and Alayna's mother, Kayla Frazier, reportedly went to St. Louis to buy heroin and injected themselves on the ride home. Alayna and Kayla Frazier's toddler daughter, Isabella, were in the back seat.

Keefe said the evidence reportedly shows that they both "shot a lot of heroin."

"You can't hide behind the drug," Keefe said. "You're still responsible. You're still accountable ... At the end of the case, he will be held accountable."

Keefe said Zook told police what happened: He blacked out from the heroin, and then he dropped Alayna or fell on top of Alayna.

Keefe reportedly said the medical evidence shows Alayna died from blunt force trauma and that the autopsy does not mention Alayna was shaken.

If shaking caused Alayna's death, then her spinal cord and organs would have been damaged and there should have been bruises where she was held, Keefe said.

"None of it is there," Keefe said. "What he said happened couldn't have happened."

Keefe said police elicited a confession from Zook. "They walked him right into it."

For about an hour, jurors reportedly watched a video of Zook's interview with police in which he recounted how he and Kayla Frazier acquired heroin and returned to her home.

Zook said he fed Alayna with a bottle while Kayla Frazier was in the shower. He said Alayna was sleepy, but fine, and he put her in a baby bed upstairs.

Afterward, he injected two more buttons of heroin. He went back to Alayna when she started to cry.

Zook said he then blacked out and fell on the bed. Then he told police he blacked out and dropped her.

Police told Zook that Alayna's injuries were not consistent with suffocation or a fall and asked if something else happened. They asked Zook if he knew about shaken baby syndrome and said medical evidence could show how many times a baby was shaken.

Police then asked Zook how many times he shook Alayna, if her head hit her back or chest and if she continued to cry.

"She wouldn't stop crying," Zook said. "She didn't want to go to bed."

Zook used a doll to demonstrate to police how he held Alayna and how hard he shook Alayna.

After police questioned Zook, he called Kayla Frazier from the interview room.

"I told them I shook the baby," Zook told her. "Please listen to me. Don't cry ... I'm so sorry. I made a mistake ... I want to hang myself in this cell ... I did the right thing by admitting what I did ... It was an honest to God mistake ..."

Zook wore jeans, a dark gray sweater and black glasses to court Tuesday. He rested his chin on his left fist as the video played, taking notes and talking to his attorney at times.

The prosecution team also called Alayna's father, Roy Frazier, as their first witness and showed jurors a photo of Alayna taken about two months before she died. Belleville Police Detective Sgt. Matthew Eiskant also testified that he interviewed Zook three times.

Kayla Frazier, 27, was charged with endangering the health of a child. She pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and was sentenced to probation. She was later charged with other crimes and is currently serving a three-year sentence at the Lincoln Correctional Center.

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If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at http://www.keanelaw.com

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2012/06/05/2200509/prosecutor-says-fairview-heights.html#storylink=cpy

In New York, Baby dies of shaken baby syndrome | Shaken Baby Syndrome

An empty home and a rattled neighborhood. That's what's reportedly left after police say 27-year-old Nicole Freeman shook her 16-month-old baby to death.

It reportedly happened last Wednesday, but little Jason Shappee succumbed to his brain injuries at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania Saturday.

"There was bleeding in the retinas, different diagnoses that way, they were able to determine that would be the cause of that," NYSP Investigator Karl Aepelbacher.

The news of the toddler's death has left some neighbors disheartened.

"I can't understand how someone could do that to their own flesh and blood. I have two daughters of my own and it appalls me to think that someone could do that to their own child," said neighbor Rick Bailey.

"It makes me sick. I don't know how anybody could do that to a kid, no matter what the kid does. Especially a baby. No kid deserves anything like that," said neighbor Katie Elia.

Other neighbors who did not want to speak on camera told us they've called the Child Protective Services hotline about Freeman.

But her next door neighbor reportedly insists she's a good person that's simply been dealt a bad hand.

Freeman is being held in Chemung County Jail on $50,000 bail.

She reportedly has an older daughter, who's currently staying with family members.

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If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at http://www.keanelaw.com

In Arkansas, Rogers Man Arrested in Infant’s Murder | Shaken Baby Syndrome

A Rogers man has been arrested on the offense of capital murder after an 11-month-old was found not breathing, with suspicious bruises and possible shaken baby syndrome, at the 8th Street Motel, officials said.

Michael Proffitt Jr., 37, was arrested Tuesday on a charge of capital murder. Proffitt’s son is the fiancé of the infant’s mother, police said.

Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Van Stone on Wednesday filed an affidavit of probably cause requesting that Proffitt be held without bail. Stone’s office will file formal charges sometime before Proffitt’s next court date, scheduled for July 9, said legal assistant Debbie Herndon.

Proffitt was babysitting the baby when the child was injured, police said. A witness told 5NEWS that when emergency officials took the boy from the motel room, the child’s injuries were evident.

“EMT comes up here and gets the little boy and they hurry up and rush him down, and he is black and blue,” said Viola Harris, 8^TH Street Motel front desk worker.

The baby was taken to Mercy Medical Center for treatment. While the baby was in the hospital, the police department began an investigation that included interviews with family members. The baby was later taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, where he died two days later.

Proffitt told police he became frustrated when the child would not stop crying, the affidavit states. Proffitt told officers he became frustrated with the child and shook him about once a month.

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If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at http://www.keanelaw.com