ADRIANA SWEENEY - 13 Months (1/2011) - Kingman (I-40/ E of Bullhead City) AZ

Arizona man held in death of baby

January 23, 2011 2:24 PM ET KINGMAN, Ariz. (AP) - A 21-year-old man has been arrested in the death of his girlfriend's baby.
An ambulance took the 13-month-old baby, Adriana Sweeney, to Kingman Regional Medical Center.
She was later airlifted to a Las Vegas hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Kingman Police Sgt. Bob Fisk says Dustin Colpitts called 911 Tuesday after noticing the baby was having difficulty breathing.
The hospital staff called police, saying the
baby had severe bruising to the head and face in various stages of
healing. That means the injuries occurred over a period of time.
Police questioned both the mother and Colpitts, her boyfriend.
They arrested Colpitts on felony charges of child abuse and domestic violence-aggravated assault.
Police say he was taking care of the baby that morning while her mother was working.

Information from: Kingman Daily Miner, http://www.kingmandailyminer.com

Kingman man held in death of 13-month-old

snipped.....

Colpitts was arrested after police determined he was the only one taking care of the baby that morning while the mother was at work. Colpitts is not the baby's father.

Adriana was life-flighted to Sunrise Medical Center in Las Vegas, where she was pronounced brain dead shortly before midnight Tuesday.

Colpitts is currently being held at the Mohave County Jail on felony charges of child abuse and domestic violence/aggravated assault. The County Attorney's Office said additional charges are possible pending autopsy results.

Colpitts is required to register as a sex offender after being convicted of an unknown offense in Oregon for which he spent several years in juvenile detention. It's not clear when he moved to Kingman or how long he and the baby's 29-year-old mother had been dating.

About a month ago, Colpitts posted a question on the Internet titled, "How do I make my 1-year-old happy?" He said the baby cried while her mother was at work and asked for advice on how to soothe her.

"When she is not sleeping she is crying," he wrote. "How can I help make her more happy? It hurts me to see her like this."

His Facebook page also said the following: "I am 21. I have a girlfriend and she has a daughter. I am not the father. But I sure wish that I will be some day."
http://www.kingmandailyminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubsectionID=1&ArticleID=42521

A Kingman, Ariz., man whose abuse of a baby led to her death at a Las Vegas hospital agreed to a plea deal that will send him to prison for at least 10 years.

Dustin Colpitts, 22, pleaded guilty Thursday to child abuse and manslaughter in the January 2011 death of 13-month-old Adriana Sweeney.

Kingman police said Colpitts was baby-sitting when he called 911 to report the little girl was having difficulty breathing. The girl was rushed to a local hospital before she was flown to Sunrise Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

Deputy Mohave County Attorney Greg McPhillips said Colpitts admitted he hurt the baby.

"The defendant confessed to hitting, kicking, throwing and shaking the victim," McPhillips said. "This conduct caused brain damage."

Under terms of the plea agreement, Superior Court Judge Steve Conn will sentence Colpitts to from 10 to 27½ years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled April 12.

This asshat got of easy. He should have gotten life and will probably only serve 5 years for torturing and killing a baby. Unbelievable.

A 19-year prison sentence was imposed Friday for a northwest Arizona
resident who critically injured a baby who died at Sunrise Medical Center.
Dustin Colpitts, 22, pleaded guilty to child abuse and
manslaughter in the January 2011 death of his former girlfriend's
daughter, 13-month-old Adriana Sweeney.
Defense attorney Kyle Kinkead told the Court that Colpitts was immature and ill-equipped when
he was left with day care responsibility for Sweeney. Colpitts admitted
slapping, kicking, and shaking Sweeney after months of mounting
frustration with inability to control her crying, Kingman police said.
The Mohave County Attorney's office said the baby suffered retinal
hemorrhaging commonly associated with what is known as "shaken baby syndrome."
Authorities said Colpitts spent more than five years
incarcerated for sex offenses committed in Oregon before his release and
relocation to Arizona.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/arizona-man-sentenced-in-death-of-13-month-old-girl-151230175.html?ref=175