Hey, there! Log in / Register
Hyde Park man charged with breaking infant son's ribs, legs
By adamg on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 1:46pm
Christopher Duncan, 27, was ordered held in lieu of $25,000 cash bail yesterday following his arraignment on charges of assault and battery on a child, assault and battery on a child causing serious injury and mayhem.
Prosecutors charge Duncan repeatedly beat the three-month baby almost from birth, leaving him with seven broken ribs and two broken legs, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said today.
Prosecutors say the breaks were discovered when Duncan went with the mother of the boy - and his sister, 17 months - to Boston Medical Center on July 8 because the boy would not stop crying.
Doctors asked Duncan why the boy had two freshly fractured leg bones and seven healing fractured ribs and he allegedly said the boy rolled off a bed. The DA's office says doctors said the injuries could not have happened that way; under questioning, Duncan allegedly said he snapped the baby's legs because he wouldn't stop crying.
The DA's office says the baby's sister is in the custody of his mother and grandmother, neither of whom is suspected in the abuse.
Innocent, etc.
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
May he rot in hell
Got physically ill reading the 2nd to last paragraph.
WHAT A SCUMBAG!!
They should honestly bring in the death penalty for this piece of work!!!!
The Massachusetts Parental
The Massachusetts Parental Stress Line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 1-800-632-8188.
New parents can find additional support at www.OneToughJob.org, an online resource provided by the Massachusetts Children’s Trust Fund.
Finally, anyone who suspects a case of child abuse can call the DCF Child at Risk Hotline at 1-800-792-5200.
thanks for posting that,
thanks for posting that, important information! wish that guy had it.
Parenting Hint
If a child is crying continuously because he is in pain from injuries, breaking his legs won't stop him.
Even worse things happen sometimes
Education, counseling, and other assistance for the parents who need it is important. Not just from gov't social programs but from old-fashioned family and friends.
Sadistic vs. Stressed Out
Thanks to JakeWark for posting that help and referral info. It may be helpful to folks.
In the case of this individual, however, I wonder if anything would've made a difference. It's one thing to stress out, be unable to cope, and to lose control. But to snap BOTH legs of a defenseless infant is an act of monstrous, sadistic abuse.
It sounds horrific, and I don't really understand it
If I had to guess, I would say uncontrolled anger.
My previous comment originally brought up a related problem with harm to infants, but then I edited it out, since it's really a ruin-your-day shocker kind of thing as soon as you Google the keywords. The important thing is that people recognize when a new parent is over-stressed, and give them support.
support
This guy should be given support from a rope fastened around his neck.
SERIOUSLY
death penalty is totally in order! Not too soon after someone snaps his legs, of course.
This was discovered on July 8
This was discovered on July 8, and he wasn't busted until August 3. Let's hope the kid was protected from this monster during the investigation.
And, umm, not this this was her fault, but what was the mother thinking or doing "over the course of at least three months"? Maybe getting the kid to the hospital was the best that she could manage? Reading between the lines, it sounds like he went along to "keep her quiet", but BMC staff reported the obvious signs of abuse.
Please God let this child (and his sister?) be taken and adopted
so that he can experience devoted, loving care for the first time in his life.
May this inhuman thing never decide to have another child - there are no do-overs for this.
You're asking God to let the gov't take the kids away...
...from the mom?
How could the mother not have noticed...
...the repeated problems the child was having?
That is a great question to ask...
...sometime *before* pleading that someone's kids be taken from them and adopted by someone else.
That, and many other questions. Although I'd start by eliciting narratives.
Sorry, I missed the "went with the mother"
part; nor did I understand the last graf meant the mother of the child- I read that as mother of the perp. If the mom's definitely not a suspect? And is found after investigation to be, er, stable, able, and loving, great.
I hope things work out the best for the kid, OK? I don't care about what the appropriate role of government is when I first read something like this.
the mother loves her kids.
the mother loves her kids. and had no clue what was going on
D03
infants don't talk
There are some infants that simply cry all the time. They do this because they do it - or because they have some less-than-obvious issue.
She may have been working long hours, too. Not our business really. Certainly, the DSS should look into the situation ... but you can't automatically assume that the mother was neglectful because she expected the 27 year old father to be able to be a competent caretaker. Particularly when they have an older child who does not seem to have been abused like this.
Honestly the mother in this
Honestly the mother in this story is my best friend. This child is my godson and I love her daughter to death. It really isn't her fault. The baby has been completely fine and was showing no signs of this abuse. If he was... and I knew about I would have literally beat this dudes ass!!! I love that baby to death and if anyone (her family or me) had seen any signs of this, it would have stopped a LONG time ago. I've known Chris for a longggggggg time. I used to date his cousin. He NEVER seemed like the type, but I guess he just snapped. I will NEVER speak to him again and hope I'll never run into him, because I wouldn't be able to control myself. :-( Just thought I'de let everyone know what's going on with the situation....
How's the kid?
He must have been in extreme pain. Has he been put back together?
Yes I think the mom had to
Yes I think the mom had to know what that poor excuse for human skin was doing to her child and that makes her guilty as well. Take the kids away from her as fast as you can!!!!!
this guy is disgusting
this is the exact type of case where the death penalty should be a given. there are NO excuses in the world for what he did 2 his 3month old child!! seriously, don't these types of people realize they shouldn't have kids in the first place?? saying he was tired or stressed out because he had a new baby is not a valid reason for why this happened. most people, including myself, have kids and guess what.. we're ALL stressed out and overly tired but somehow manage to keep our children's body parts intact!!!!