A 23-year-old Tacoma man was charged with murder Friday for the death of his 4-month-old son. According to court documents, the infant suffered multiple brain bleeds in the last two weeks.
Samuel Bryon Kennedy was charged in Pierce County Superior Court with two counts of second-degree murder. The boy died Wednesday at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital, one day after he was brought there in an unresponsive state from his parent's West End apartment.
According to the probable cause document, preliminary results from a medical examiner's autopsy determined he died of blunt force trauma to the head. The death was ruled a homicide, the sixth in Tacoma so far this year, and the second alleged to have occurred at the hands of a victim's parent.
Pleas of not guilt were entered on Kennedy's behalf at arraignment Friday afternoon. Judge Sabrina Ahrens set bail at $1.5 million.
In arguing for that amount of bail, deputy prosecutor Afton Gregson referred to the facts of the case and said the state was concerned Kennedy was a flight risk because he had ties to Idaho. He moved to Pierce County from there with his wife about a year ago. The couple have two other children, ages 3 and 2. According to court records, Kennedy does not have any prior convictions.
Kennedy's wife attended the arraignment and requested the court not grant a no-contact order between her and her husband. Judge Ahrens said she wasn't inclined to allow contact, but the defense reserved the issue to be considered later.
Charging documents allege that Kennedy was home alone with his three children Tuesday afternoon when his wife left for work. The infant had allegedly been sick with a high fever for several days and was sleeping in a rocker while Kennedy sat on the couch. In interviews with Tacoma Police Department detectives, the defendant said his other son woke the infant by throwing a plastic bottle at him. Kennedy allegedly said he became frustrated and shook the infant, causing him to start gurgling.
Kennedy brought his son to a downstairs neighbor for help. The two reportedly performed CPR on the infant, and the neighbor called 911.
The child was unresponsive when Tacoma Fire Department personnel went to the apartment in the 6300 block of North 26th Street at about 8:16 p.m, according to the declaration for determination of probable cause. Emergency responders performed CPR on the boy and took him to the hospital.
His brain was scanned, and a pediatric neurosurgeon found a fresh brain bleed, retinal hemorrhaging and two hematomas that were 10-14 days old. All of the injuries were consistent with abusive head trauma, records state. The doctor advised that surgical intervention wasn't possible. About three hours after the infant was brought to the hospital, a social worker requested a police response.
"The social worker reported on the father's 'odd behavior,' such as asking if CPS was being called, and asking if he was in trouble," prosecutors wrote in charging papers. "He reportedly then became defensive, stating he did not strike or harm the child. According to social worker, the father's 'attitude did not match the tragedy of his child.'"
Police officers found the infant's parents in a waiting room and spoke with the mother privately, records state. The mother was sobbing and appeared distraught. She told police she had known Kennedy for nearly four years, and they married in December.
The mother said she left for work at 4 p.m. Tuesday and was at work for a couple of hours when her husband called, telling her to come home quickly because their baby wasn't breathing. Asked if she had any other concerns about the infant, she said she took him to a pediatric urgent care Sunday in Gig Harbor because he had been fussy, court records show. She was told the infant had an ear infection and was given Amoxicillin, which gave her son a temporary rash. She returned to the clinic and was given a different antibiotic.
Officers also spoke with Kennedy at the hospital. He initially denied ever shaking or dropping his son, repeatedly saying he would never hurt his children, according to the probable cause document. After he was arrested, Kennedy allegedly "admitted to shaking the victim and causing his injuries."
In interviews with detectives, Kennedy allegedly said his son had been sick and was crying when he shook him. It's unclear how the child sustained his earlier injuries.
"I didn't mean to kill him," Kennedy told police, according to charging papers. "He demonstrated how he shook the victim, which the detectives described as shaking the victim 'vigorously, back and forth.'"
