Dad gets 21 years in prison for killing 7-week-old son (San Rafael, California)

Dad JEREME SCOTT GROMER has pleaded guilty to causing the death of his 7-week-old son nearly ten years ago. Doctors didn't recognize that the baby had been abused until Dad's second son showed up with similar injuries. As is often the case with abusers, Dad's family of origin is in total denial.

http://www.marinij.com/sanrafael/ci_12942726

Dad gets prison in San Rafael baby killing
Gary Klien
Posted: 07/29/2009 09:41:57 PM PDT

A 35-year-old man was sentenced to nearly 21 years in state prison Wednesday for squeezing his baby to death in San Rafael nearly a decade ago.

Jereme Scott Gromer pleaded guilty to three child abuse counts and admitted causing the death and great bodily injury of his 7-week-old son, Devon.

Devon suffered numerous fractured ribs, a fractured collarbone and chest bruising at the hands of his 240-pound father, authorities said. The baby was squeezed on at least three occasions - refracturing ribs that had already started to heal - and hospitalized several times before he died at the Gromer home on Yosemite Road.

The boy's doctors were initially baffled by his condition, thinking he might be suffering a digestive ailment. It did not even occur to them at first that the boy's own father might have crushed him, said Deputy District Attorney Geoff Iida.

"The defendant transformed himself from Devon's primary protector and defender to Devon's killer," Iida said.

When Devon Gromer died in April 2000, the coroner's office could not initially determine the cause of death, and prosecutors did not immediately file charges. But the suspicions of homicide were stoked two years later, when Gromer, who had relocated to Suisun City with his wife, was charged with severely abusing a second infant son, Jorden, who was born in 2002. Jorden suffered a perforated stomach and other injuries similar to Devon's.

In 2006, a jury convicted Gromer of child abuse charges in the Solano County case and sentenced him to 12 years in prison. Marin prosecutors, fortified by the conviction in Solano, then brought Gromer back to answer for Devon's death.

Last month, Gromer accepted a plea bargain that capped his total prison sentence to a potential maximum of 20 years and eight months - 17 years and eight months for Devon's death, and three years for the abuse of Jorden. The plea arrangement spared Gromer a potential life sentence.

Judge Terrence Boren, in sentencing Gromer on Wednesday, approved the plea deal and gave him the full 20 years and eight months.

"It's difficult to understand how the defendant would get to this point and not realize the harm he was doing to his small child," Boren said. "This is one of the most serious and horrendous offenses I've seen in some time."

Gromer's lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Brian Morris, said that despite the "extremely sad" nature of the case, Gromer has enjoyed the steadfast support of his family members, many of whom were in court Wednesday.

"His family still believes he didn't have anything to do with either case," Morris said. "His family still loves him unconditionally."

Gromer, a Novato native, did not speak during the hearing but winked at his mother in the gallery.

Also in the audience, representing the victim, were Coroner Kenneth Holmes and coroner's investigators Pam Carter and Jeff Sherman.

Under sentencing guidelines, Gromer will have to serve 85 percent of his sentence - or about 17 1/2 years - minus about 7 1/2 years of credit for time he has already served.

Gromer and the mother of Devon and Jorden are no longer married, and Jorden has been adopted. Gromer also has a 12-year-old daughter.

Gromer's younger sister, Dianna Gromer of Sonoma County, described him as a "very loving father" who was innocent of the crime. She said he admitted guilt because he was required to in order to accept the plea deal.

"It was heart-wrenching to watch Jereme be accused of things he did not do," she said.