Three-year-old Child Beaten to Death by Father
Learning how to properly use a toilet is an important milestone in a child’s development. Most parents are patient with their children during this process, but some become so frustrated that they resort to abusing their children.
In Houston, Texas, a 24-year-old father beat his three-year-old son and accidentally killed him because he was increasingly upset about the little boy’s difficulty in using the toilet effectively. The father beat his son also to discipline or try to impress the importance of toilet training on the young boy. In May 2015, the beatings started, and the boy’s 23-year-old aunt witnessed some of the beatings. She saw the father, her brother, strike her nephew who fell to the bathroom floor. The father picked up the boy up and struck him again. The boy fell again. But that time, the fall was so loud that the aunt believed her nephew violently hit the floor.
After the fall, the boy told his aunt he was sleepy. She noticed the boy’s behavior changed and did not want him to sleep because she feared he would never awaken. In the early morning of May 28, 2015, the father woke the aunt up and told her that the boy was not breathing or responding. They called 911, and the ambulance came and rushed the boy to a hospital. The little boy died the next day on May 29, 2015.
Though the father reportedly accidentally killed his son, abusing and endangering a child is wrong and illegal. Those who lose control and endanger or abuse a child face serious legal and criminal sanctions. There in Houston, the authorities charged the father with capital murder for hitting and killing his son; they also charged the aunt with imperiling a child’s life and linked that charge with the boy’s death. The court set the father’s bond at $250,000.
When an adult spanks or strikes a child, too often he or she is frustrated and upset – and out of control. The child cannot defend himself or herself. So, a word of caution to parents: If you choose to discipline your child by spanking or striking him or her, be very careful and stay in control. Wait until the anger or frustration lessens or you cool off before spanking or striking your child. If you injure or hurt your child, you may face criminal proceedings, or in Tennessee the Department of Children Services can bring the matter to court.
If your child has been abused or if you are accused of abusing your child, there are legal remedies. For more information, contact Nashville Attorney Perry A. Craft.
Perry A. Craft has dedicated his life to helping people in need. He has tried, settled, or resolved numerous civil and criminal cases in State and Federal courts, and has represented teachers and administrators before school boards, administrative judges, and the state Board of Education. Learn more about Attorney Craft.