JOSHUA BELIZAIRE - 2 Months (2006) - Jacksonville FL

A Jacksonville man who testified that he was frightened of his infant son’s outbursts could spend the next 30 years in prison after a jury convicted him of tying up the child who later died.Julian Belizaire, 33, was found guilty Wednesday of a single count of aggravated child abuse. His 2-month-old son, Joshua, died in August 2006.Prosecutor Alan Mizrahi said authorities did not have the evidence to pursue homicide charges against Belizaire because the baby was suffering from a viral infection that made some autopsy results inconclusive.However, medical examiners noted that the infant had bruises that suggested he’d been tied up before he died.A panel of four women and two men deliberated for about 30 minutes before determining that Belizaire had abused the infant before he was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.Belizaire testified for nearly three hours. He repeated many times that he was a good father who made a crucial mistake when he decided to tighten plastic bundling ties around the baby’s ankles and wrists.The idea, he explained, was to keep the baby safe while he showered in the next room. He said the baby was prone to fits and would sometimes scratch himself so violently it would leave marks.“It tended to frighten me a little bit. It was extreme,” Belizaire told the jury. “It was extreme to the point that I’d pray.”The boy’s mother, Michelle Eckels, broke into tears on the witness stand as she relived the horror of the news that her son had died. She said she was at work when the infant was rushed to the hospital.Police recorded a conversation between Eckels and Belizaire to use as evidence in the case. Belizaire said he had totaled a car shortly before his son’s death. He said he was in a lot of pain. He said he bought a CD of soothing music to try to lull his son to sleep so that he also could get some rest.“My son would kick so vigorously. I’m like, wow, you are a strong kid. You got my genes. I got to watch you 24-7 — which I got no problem with,” Belizaire testified.During cross-examination, Mizrahi lambasted Belizaire’s parenting methods.“They don’t teach that in parenting classes, do they? You weren’t tied up as a kid, were you?” Mizrahi asked. Belizaire responded, “I did not use good judgment that day.”