Out of frustration, a West Virginia man allegedly threw his infant son into a bed frame and the floor, causing the boy to collapse and stop breathing.
The boy later died, and his father, 27-year-old Zachary Williams, is now accused of murder and child abuse resulting in death.
The incident happened around 9 a.m. on May 25 at a home in Jane Lew, about 100 miles northeast of Charleston.
According to a criminal complaint filed by the West Virginia State Police and obtained by Law&Crime, troopers responded to a call regarding an unresponsive infant.
When they arrived, they discovered paramedics performing CPR on the child and transported him to the hospital. Approximately an hour later, medical personnel pronounced the boy dead.
The boy lived at home with his mother, father, and grandparents. Troopers first interviewed the grandparents, who stated that aside from a recurring cold, the boy was fine when they left for work around 8 a.m. The boy was then in the care of his mother and William.
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According to the affidavit, the mother informed detectives that her son was “completely fine” when they awoke that morning.
She alleged that the boy was fussier than usual due to a cold and refused to nap. She then awoke Williams for assistance because she was becoming frustrated.
The mother left the room, and Williams yelled for her to return shortly after. She dashed back into the bedroom to find her son “limp” and barely breathing.
She had Williams call 911, and the dispatcher instructed her to put the child on his side. According to the affidavit, once she did this, her son’s breathing stopped completely. She administered CPR until medical personnel arrived.
Williams told detectives that after taking over the care of the boy from his mother, he began rocking him in the hopes of calming him down.
The boy “went rigid, then limp, and became unresponsive,” Williams told investigators.
While cops found no serious injuries on the boy, an autopsy revealed that he died from a “severe skull fracture on the rear of the head,” according to the affidavit. According to cops, trauma causes this type of fracture.
Troopers interviewed Williams again, and he stated his Miranda rights.
“In a recorded interview, Mr. Williams did confess to throwing the juvenile out of frustration, causing the juvenile to strike his head on a bed frame and the floor,” according to the report.
“Mr. Williams also stated that it was all his fault,” the complaint read.
Williams was arrested and is being held at the Central Regional Jail without bond. It’s unclear whether he has an attorney.
