OWEN ADAMS

Father suffocated his 18-month-old son's 'after he interrupted him when he was playing video games'

An Iowa jury took less than 45 minutes on Tuesday to convict a Mason City man in connection with his toddler's death - which the prosecution allege was because the 18-month-old interrupted his father's video game session.

The Cerro Gordo County jury found Kenneth L. Adams guilty of child endangerment resulting in the death of his son Owen on October 27th 2012.

Prosecutors alleged during the trial that the toddler head-butted his father during a temper tantrum and that enraged his father enough to hold a pillow over his son's face until he suffocated.


Convicted: Kenneth L. Adams of Mason City being led from a Cerro Gordo County Courtroom by Brice Ausenhus, (right), of the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Dept on Monday after being convicted of child endangerment

The boy was rushed to Mason City Hospital, where he was pronounced dead and Adams now faces a mandatory sentence of 50 years in prison.

Assistant Cerro Gordo County Attorney Blake Norman said that the quick decision vindicated the decision by the county to bring child endangerment charges against Adams and not that of murder.


Death: Little Owen Adams died in his father's care in October 2012 - prosecutors allege his father killed him after his son interrupted him playing his favorite video-game - although this was not proved in court

There was insufficient evidence to charge Adams with directly causing his own son's death, so the county settled neglect resulting in death.

'There is no real timeline on when a verdict may come back. It could be hours; it could be minutes. It depends on the issues and whether we address the issues the jury  was questioning,' Norman said according to the Mason City Globe Gazette.

'The fact that the verdict came back guilty does not bring back Owen. Owen is gone forever so we do not take any pleasure in this. But we do feel that justice was done for Owen.'

Indeed, the defense rested its case on Tuesday morning and did not present any witnesses


Tragic: Tiffany Adams and her son Owen are pictured here in a photograph taken prior to October 2012


Inked: Tiffany Adams got a tattoo to commemorate her son Owen in the aftermath of his death

In closing arguments, Norman told the jury that Adams enjoyed reading and was consumed by video games. Norman said Adams put his son face down on a pillow because he was eager to return to a video game.

'He wanted Owen to shut up. He wanted to get back to what he wanted to do — playing video games — and he can't do that with a screaming child,' Norman said.

Defense attorney Susan Flander said in closing arguments that Adams didn't cause his son's death.

'He's responsible because he was there, not because of what he did,' Flander said.

Owen's mother's Facebook account has been updated to include a picture profile of her son's name as a tattoo, presumably inked onto herself.

Adams’ wife, Tiffany, and other family members declined comment after the verdict was announced.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 8th and the conviction carries a mandatory sentence of 50 years in prison.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2418237/Kenneth-L-Adams-guilty-causing-toddler-son-Owens-death-neglect.html

He should have gotten the death penalty.  But at least some justice is done.  William