Baby was crying, so dad tried to find the voice box in his child’s throat, Missouri police say
He was trying to find his son’s larynx — the voice box — to stop the crying, the newspaper reported.
The dad, now 21, also shook the six-week-old baby, slammed him face down on the bed while holding him there and then grabbed the child by the back of his neck, police said, according to KMOV’s 2016 report.
While Burnette was abusing his son, the baby’s mom, Megan Hendricks, was watching, the Post-Dispatch reported from court records. She never called police for help. The abuse occurred between Oct. 28 and Nov. 7 of 2016, KTVI reported.
The baby, identified by police as J.B., was eventually taken to the hospital in critical condition, KTVI reported. He had broken bones, liver contusions and a brain bleed and was pronounced dead on Nov. 28, 2016, the station reported. Police told the station it was one of the worst cases they had dealt with.
Now almost two years later, Burnette pleaded guilty for child abuse resulting in death, KMOV reported. A sentencing hearing has been set for Oct. 29, and the state told the station it will be asking that the man face 30 years in prison.
Law enforcement officials told the Post-Dispatch that Burnette has a “history of violence” and “has been in mental institutions for severe anger issues and has been diagnosed with several mental disorders.”
Hendricks, 21, lied at the hospital in 2016 when she told doctors she didn’t know how the baby was hurt, police told the newspaper.
Police also said she wouldn’t use her son’s name — she’d use “the kid” or “the baby” when referring to him, and she didn’t show any emotion.
She is scheduled to be on trial next month, the Associated Press reported. She will also be tried on the charge of child abuse resulting in death.
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The words just fail me on how to exclaim the utter disgust that this story has produced in me! Grumpy