BRIGHTON MENDENHALL - 6 Months - St Paul MN

Only time will tell whether 6-month-old Brighton Mendenhall will ever
be able to walk, talk and play like other children. When the boy was 3
weeks old, his father squeezed the baby's skull between his hands until
he heard an audible pop.
At Bryant A. Mendenhall's sentencing hearing Wednesday, Ramsey County
District Judge Judith Tilsen told him that she's seen a lot of tragic
cases in her 11 years as a judge, but this is the worst.
"This is the most shocking case I have ever seen," Tilsen told
Mendenhall as he squirmed and fidgeted. "There is absolutely no excuse
for your behavior during the offense, in the days that followed and here
in court today."
Mendenhall, 20, pleaded guilty in July to felony malicious punishment
of a child. Prosecutors agreed not to seek an upward departure from
state sentencing guidelines, and Tilsen sentenced him to 4 years and
nine months in prison. He will be eligible for release in a little more
than three years.
Despite his guilty plea, Mendenhall appeared to try again Wednesday to shift the blame for the baby's injuries.
He said he would have "plenty to say" and his guilt would be
overturned Thursday at a hearing to determine whether both parents'
rights to the child should be terminated.
In the days following the incident, Mendenhall used the cell phone of
his wife, Pamela, to send text messages to his own mother, posing as
his wife and incriminating her.
According to the criminal complaint, St. Paul police went to Regions
Hospital on Feb. 23 on a child abuse call. The defendant initially told
police that he fell down the stairs while carrying the child. It wasn't
until late May that he admitted he had crushed the baby's skull on Feb.
21 because he was angry with his wife. He swaddled the baby in blankets
and gave him to his wife without telling her about the injuries.
Brighton didn't get medical care for two days.
Doctors said the boy had numerous skull fractures and will have permanent brain damage.Pamela Mendenhall read a victim-impact statement to the court, saying
she only gets to see her son three times a week for three hours at a
time.
"I have not and never will forgive Bryant," she said.