Wisconsin editorial on dad charged with killing 4-month-old son (Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin)

A nicely-written editorial from Wisconsin on dad MICHAEL WEY, who has been charged in the death of his 4-month-old son. We have posted about this case before.

http://wcco.com/wireapnewswi/Editorials.from.Wisconsin.2.1155432.html

Editorials From Wisconsin Newspapers
The Associated Press, (AP)

Horrific is the only way to describe actions that most likely led to the death of a 4-month-old Lake Mills infant a week ago.

The criminal complaint charging child abuse tells us that little Nikolai Wey was in the care of his father, Michael Wey, while his mom was at work on the evening of Aug. 14. We don't know whether the boy was fussing or crying or what have you, but for some reason, his dad allegedly threw him head first against the wall.

Hours later after the mother returned and they took Nikolai to the hospital, Wey told police that he had left the room for a quick bathroom break when the baby fell from his bed onto the floor.

When police said the injuries didn't indicate that, then he acknowledged that he had been tossing Nikolai into the air when he dropped him. Again, police doubted his story.

Lamenting as to what his family would think, Wey finally told authorities that he had taken his son by the leg with one hand and held his chest with the other and thrown him head first against the wall, after which he fell into his crib.

What would possess anyone, much less a father, to hurl a child like a sandbag is beyond us. We don't know what was in Wey's head at the time, but we do know that he had been drinking alcohol before picking up Nikolai from his grandmother's care, and he also said something about being groggy from cold medicine, although the veracity of that is unconfirmed.

Wey has been charged in Jefferson County with child abuse; the autopsy in Nikolai's death — which the coroner has called "suspicious" — after those charges were filed most likely will trump them to homicide.

On Aug. 15, Nikolai became among 65 percent of children growing up in the United States and Puerto Rico who have been victims of child abuse, which is a leading cause of death for minors under the age of five. In Wisconsin each year, the cases of reported child abuse number about the same as the populations of Brookfield, Wausau or Fond du Lac. Every 13 minutes, a child is reported abused or neglected, and every 21 days, a child dies from that abuse and neglect.

There is no "typical" abuser, but we are told that in 87 percent of cases, at least one parent is the perpetrator. Experts tells us there are a myriad of reasons why people physically abuse their youngsters, but Wey's alleged actions are so, as we said before, horrific that there simply is no "excuse."

By the same token, there can be no leniency. Certainly, Wey is remorseful, yet he didn't take his son to the hospital until hours later when his wife came home, and he lied to authorities about what actually took place. In one swift minute, he put his marriage and, well, his entire future on the line not to mention Nikolai's.

This is one of those cases that a father's personal suffering and regret are not penalty enough. For little Nikolai — and all abused children who follow — justice must be served.

— DAILY JEFFERSON COUNTY UNION, Fort Atkinson.