ETHAN NEIDERBACH - 2 Months (2009) - Des Moines IA

A Des Moines man accused of abusing his infant son was released from jail on bond last week, according to online court records.

Jonas Neiderbach, 21, left the Polk County Jail on Friday. His father, Jon Neiderbach, a former Des Moines school board member, posted a $150,000 cash bond, online records showed.

Neiderbach is accused of felony child endangerment causing serious injury to his son, Ethan, in 2009, when the child was less than 2 months old. His trial is scheduled to begin Monday.

Ethan’s mother, Jherica Richardson, 21, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison in a deal with prosecutors.

A Rhode Island child abuse expert this morning told Polk County
jurors that she believes 42-day-old Ethan Neiderbach had five impact
sites on his head.
Dr. Carole Jenny, professor of pediatrics at a Rhode Island medical
school, testified that bruises on the top and side of Ethan’s head
indicate the infant suffered “a clear-cut case of child abuse.”
Testimony continues today in the trial of Ethan’s 22-year-old father, Jonas Neiderbach, on six charges of felony child abuse.
Jenny, referring to the heavily brain-damaged boy and the force
necessary to inflict such injuries, said she could not quantify the
amount of violence required. But any normal observer would find it
upsetting to watch, she said.
“This baby had a very rough life,” Jenny said in court. “And will continue to have a rough life.”
http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2011/05/09/neiderbach-case-expert-calls-injuries-clear-cut-case-of-child-abuse/

NEIDERBACH TRIAL: Doctor testifies for defense that Ethan Neiderbach's brain bleeding happened during birth



11:05 a.m. CDT, May 16, 2011

Jonas Neiderbach's defense is still presenting evidence that will it hopes will convince the jury he is not guilty of abusing his infant son, Ethan.

The third week of testimony began Monday morning with a neurosurgeon from Washington, D.C. on the stand. Dr. Ronald Uscinski showed pictures of Ethan's head after he was born. He says the newborn had a cone shaped head and CT scans confirm that the bleeding on his brain happened during birth.

The prosecution argues the baby was healthy before his father shook or beat him. Ethan turns two-years-old later this month, but he has virtually no brain function.

The defense plans to call one more witness Tuesday before the jury begins deliberating the case on Wednesday.


http://www.whotv.com/news/who-story-neiderbach-trial-continues-051611,0,6973452.story?track=rss

NEIDERBACH TRIAL: The defense is expected to rest its case Tuesday in the child endangerment trial of Jonas Neiderbach


Jonas Neiderbach's defense will rest its case Tuesday. The 22-year-old father is accused of abusing his baby in 2009.

But the defense says Neiderbach isn't to blame for his son, Ethan's injuries. Doctor Errol Mortimer, a Children's Orthopedic Surgeon at the University of Massachusetts, told the jury that the baby suffered from an underlying bone condition that made his bones fragile.

At six-weeks-old, he had a broken left arm and multiple rib fractures. Prosecutors claim the injuries were a result of child abuse and that Ethan's ribs were broken when he was shaken by Neiderbach.

The prosecution says if it calls any rebuttal witnesses, it will be first thing Wednesday morning. After jury instructions and closing arguments, the jury will begin its deliberations.

Neiderbach is on trial for six counts of child endangerment.

http://www.whotv.com/news/who-story-neiderbach-trial-defense-resting-051711,0,1162622.story

Jury finds Jonas Neiderbach guilty on all counts of child endangerment


10:20 AM, May 20, 2011 | by Jeff Eckhoff

Jonas Neiderbach stood silently and calmly accepted his handcuffs this morning after Polk County jurors found him guilty on six felony charges of child endangerment.

Defense lawyers later described Neiderbach, 22, as “prepared” to face the expected two decades or more in prison that likely will accompany the convictions, although he was not exactly expecting the result.

“He still maintains his innocence,” attorney Angela Campbell said.

Neiderbach’s parents, Jon and Mary Neiderbach, left the courthouse without commenting after the verdict — as did maternal relatives of Ethan, the severely brain-damaged son Neiderbach was convicted of abusing.

“The family does want to thank everyone for keeping Ethan in their thoughts and prayers this whole time and hopes that will continue,” defense attorney Gary Dickey Jr. said.

“Obviously, this is a horrible tragedy all the way around,” prosecutor Steve Foritano said. “Whatever side of the family you’re on, it’s a horrible tragedy for everyone involved.”

Neiderbach’s six felony charges, debated by jurors for roughly nine hours before across-the-board guilty verdicts, stem from life-threatening brain injuries suffered by Ethan in June and July 2009, when the boy was less than 6 weeks old.

Neiderbach, whom Polk prosecutors described this week as an irresponsible freeloader who had “a pretty sweet deal” living with his felon girlfriend in his parents’ Des Moines home, now faces up to 95 years in prison when he is sentenced June 30.

Foritano said prosecutors haven’t yet decided what sentence they will seek for Neiderbach, although it is expected to be longer than the 20-year term that Neiderbach’s girlfriend and co-parent, Jherica Richardson, agreed to last year.

Prosecutors argued during the 2½-week trial that Neiderbach, the son of a Des Moines city planner and a former Des Moines school board member, was easily frustrated by the realities of parenthood despite the fact that he had few other responsibilities.

Authorities say Ethan had suffered through a broken arm, multiple brain bleeds and at least 15 rib fractures by the time he was hospitalized on July 8, 2009. It was July 8, prosecution doctors testified, when a severe injury to Ethan’s brain stem, possibly caused by shaking, cut off the baby’s ability to breath. Experts testified that Ethan developed severe and permanent brain damage after he went without oxygen for at least five minutes.

The baby, who is nearly 2 and still learning to lift his head, now lives as the adopted son of his biological aunt.

http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2011/05/20/jury-reaches-verdict-in-neiderbach-child-endangerment-case/#comments

PRISON SENTENCE: Jonas Neiderbach has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for abusing his infant son


WHO Staff Writer
10:07 a.m. CDT, June 30, 2011

A Des Moines father convicted of abusing his infant son has been sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Twenty-two-year-old Jonas Neiderbach was found guilty of six counts of child endangerment on May 20, 2011. Prosecutors claimed he caused severe injuries to his infant son Ethan, who was only six-weeks-old when he was taken to a local hospital suffering from broken ribs andhead injuries.

Ethan is now two-years-old and is largely unresponsive. His aunt and uncle legally adopted him and are in charge of his around the clock care. In court today, Shannon Nelson said no punishment for is harsh enough. "He took a child that was born normal, with no obvious problems and left him broken, devastated for the remainder of his life, however long that may be," she says.

Nelson told the judge that Neiderback took her son's life. "The kind of life that Ethan should have been able to lead was stolen from him when Jonas made the decision to abuse an innocent child. The boy and man he was supposed to become died that day," she says.

When it was his turn to speak, Neiderbach said he didn't do it. "To this day, I know I am innocent. I would never ever ever do anything intentionally to hurt my son," he says. Neiderbach also thanked people for their prayers. "Please, I urge you with everything in my heart to please continue to do so. If not for me, just for my son Ethan."

At the start of the sentencing hearing, Judge Douglas Staskal denied a motion for a new trial in the case. That motion was filed last week by Neiderbach's attorney. "The best we can do now is deliver justice for Ethan and I believe that's what the jury did when they rendered their verdict and I think it was an absolutely correct verdict based on the evidence," says Staskal.

Neiderbach was given a term of 50 years in prison with no mandatory minimum. That means the state Parole Board will determine when he will be released. He also must pay restitution for Ethan's medical bills, but an amount has not been determined yet.

Jherica Richardson, Ethan's mother, is serving a 20 year term for her role in the child's injuries.

http://www.whotv.com/news/who-story-neiderbach-prison-sentence-063011,0,6243347.story

I didn't see an update on the results of the trial so looked it up and found the above two articles. Also here is a link to a video clip of the POS father stating he didn't hurt his child. Notice he uses the word "intentionally" which I find interesting. Why even say that word if you didn't hurt them at all. I saw photos of the baby boy and he is beautiful. So sad:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xjmsuv_13raw-jonas-neiderbach-speaks-at-sentencing_news

Here are a few links that contains a lot more information about this case that you may want to read as well. This poor child should have been removed when he was born with drugs in his system or when that POS father broke his arm. And the parents....I have no respect for the killer's parents. They seemed to only care about protecting Jonas, their son, instead of helping their grandbaby.

http://www.kcci.com/r/27796354/detail.html

http://www.dreamindemon.com/forums/showthread.php?22563-Jonas-Neiderbach-and-Jherica-Richardson-put-their-6-week-old-in-critical-care