JORDAN HECK - 2 Months (2007) - Mankato (SW of Minneapolis) MN

Rochester MN ---- An end to a three-year-old trial came with a guilty verdict from an Olmsted County Judge.
30-year-old Robert Heck was found guilty of first degree assault of his newborn son.
An emotional courtroom as Judge Kevin Lund read the guilty verdict.
Heck was visibly upset as he was immediately handcuffed and taken
into custody following the judgement.
His lawyers say it was the wrong call.
Monday, in an Olmsted County courtroom, Judge Kevin Lund read the
fate of 30-year-old Robert Heck of Mankato.
Heck was found guilty of first degree assault against his infant son,
stemming from an incident that happened back in January of 2007.
That son was a conjoined twin who's premature birth and separation
surgery at Mayo Clinic received media attention.
It was at a "well baby check-up" that Mayo Clinic staff found the
child had sustained twenty-five fractures to both legs, an arm, and ribs.
Heck waived his right to a jury trial so Judge Kevin Lund made the ultimate decision.
He had this to say in court: "This case, however, is necessarily
quantified at a distinctly different level. The brutality toward a
defenseless six-week-old five pound baby boy is numbing."
The foster parents of the two boys cried tears of joy, while
prosecutors sighed a breath of relief. They say they are thrilled by the
verdict in this very emotionally disturbing case.
Heck's attorney's say it was the wrong decision and that their client
has always maintained his innocence.
While Robert Heck may still be saying he didn't do it, the law had the final say in this case.
The children's foster parents said today that the twins are doing well.
As for Heck, he's being held in the Olmsted County Detention Center
pending a sentencing that will be held on August 9th.

Robert Heck pleaded with Judge Kevin Lund on Monday afternoon to see him
as the person he really is, not a monster who would abuse his infant son.

Lund sentenced Heck, 30, of Mankato, Minn., on Monday. In
mid-May, Lund found Heck guilty of first-degree assault of his 6-week
old baby in January 2007, resulting in 25 fractures to the infant's arms and legs.

The baby, Jordan, and his brother, Jacob, were born
conjoined in November 2006. The boys were surgically separated in
Rochester. Jordan was released from the hospital on Jan. 3, 2007. A week
later, he was back in the hospital with broken bones.

The boys' mother, Valerie James, has pleaded guilty to negligence or endangerment
of a child resulting in substantial bodily harm. She will be sentenced
later this month. James and Heck lost their parental rights to the twins
and a daughter, Jadyn, following a trial in Blue Earth County.

During sentencing Monday, prosecutor Julie Germann asked Lund to sentence Heck
to 20 years in prison, the maximum allowed. The defense asked Lund to
stay within the sentencing guidelines range of not more than 146 months, or about 12 years.

Defense attorney Bill Wright said that in the
past year, people convicted of killing a Rochester man received
sentences of significantly less than 20 years in prison.

In the end, Lund sentenced Heck to 171 months, or about 14 years, in prison.
Heck will have to serve at last two-thirds of that time before he's
eligible for parole.The balance can be served on supervised release.

Wright pointed to numerous letters of support from Heck's family and friends.
"He is not the person the state makes him out to be," Wright told the
judge. "He is kind, well liked and considerate."

Wright said Heck helped a younger sister sell lemonade and helped his elderly grandparents move.

"A church friend writes that he is genuinely kind. His pastor calls him respectful,'' Wright said.

Germann said that during the week that Jordan was out of the hospital and cared
for by Heck, the infant cried almost continuously.

"He was in grave pain for seven days,'' Germann told the judge. But despite the
constant crying, she said, Heck waited seven days to take him to a doctor.

She said Heck "has a long history of abuse,'' to his grandparents, to girlfriends and others.

Jordan was dependent on Heck for his every need, Germann said. He was born
prematurely, weighed only 5 pounds when he was released from the
hospital and had special needs as a result of the surgical separation, she said.

"This child suffered horribly,'' she said.

Heck said he could have brought 100 people to the courtroom to tell the judge
who he really is. He talked of his own childhood and said he was raised without a father.

"I wanted to be the father I didn't have,'' he
told the judge. He said that after losing custody of his children, he
sunk into depression and had to "put it in God's hands.'

"I never hurt my son. I dedicated my life to my kids,'' Heck said. "I am a Christian man."

Lund said no prison sentence could repair the damage to Jordan, Jacob and
Jadyn. The damage, Lund told Heck, was "wrought by your reprehensible conduct."

Lund told Heck that he has been "demonized in the world
of public opinion'' but said his sentence would not be influenced by
public opinion. The stark reality, the judge said, is that a 6-week-old
infant suffered 25 fractures at the hands of his father.