"Newborn Jane" FARRIS - 6 Weeks - Berea (N of Fredericksburg) VA

A Berea man accused of seriously injuring his 6-week-old daughter was
indicted Wednesday by a Madison County grand jury.
Brian Farris, 19, was charged with first-degree criminal abuse after
state child abuse investigators contact Berea police Feb. 16 after the
infant was admitted to the University of Kentucky Medical Center and
diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage, lacerations to her liver, rib and
wrist fractures, evidence of seizures and other internal bleeding.
Doctors at the hospital said the injuries are indicative of the child
being shaken, Detective LeeAnn Boyle said during a March preliminary
hearing in Madison District Court. The baby spent 10 days in the
hospital, and doctors are unsure how much developmental damage the baby
may have suffered, Boyle said.
In her testimony, Boyle said Farris — a Berea College student — and his
wife admitted in multiple statements that Farris “had been rough” with
the child while playing, including bouncing the child onto a bed and
throwing the child into the air.
Farris’ wife told Boyle on the day of the incident that she had handed
the baby to Farris to burp, and he took the child upstairs for “about 15
minutes” and then returned with the child, at which point the mother
noticed the child was having difficulty breathing, Boyle testified.
Farris told Boyle he was working on homework and had the baby in his
lap and was attempting to burp the child by patting her on the stomach.
He denied ever shaking the child, Boyle said.
The detective also testified that Farris’ wife said she had seen Farris
researching “shaken baby syndrome” on the Internet about two weeks
before the incident. She also said Farris continued to play roughly with
the infant despite complaints from the child’s grandparents.
First-degree criminal abuse is a class C felony, punishable by 10 to 20
years in prison.