Dad charged in death of 4-month-old son; hearing delayed (Poteau, Oklahoma)

"Dad" AARON RAY WESLEY's preliminary hearing in the death of his 4-month-old son has been postponed. Apparently he is not the "biological" father, although his name is on the birth certificate. But honestly, does it really matter? A killer is a killer.

http://www.swtimes.com/articles/2009/10/21/news/news102109_09.txt

Hearing Again Postponed In Baby’s Death
By Mary L. Crider
Times Record • mcrider@swtimes.com
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 9:57 AM CDT

POTEAU — A preliminary hearing set Tuesday in a murder case involving a LeFlore County baby was again postponed.

Assistant District Attorney Meg Nicholson said the preliminary hearing for Aaron Ray Wesley Hinson, 22, of Howe is now set for 9 a.m. Nov. 12, a day that suits the schedules of the attorneys and other involved parties.

Hinson is charged with murder in the first degree involving a child. He is accused of the May 11 child abuse death of 4-month-old Aiden Furney. He has been held in the LeFlore jail without bond since.

Kayla Furney, 20, the baby’s mother and Hinson’s live-in girlfriend, is charged with enabling child abuse by injury. She is scheduled to appear in LeFlore District Court at 10 a.m. Nov. 12 for a sounding docket.

Furney was released from jail on a reduced $10,000 bond in August.

She had previously been held in lieu of a $150,000 bond. The court reduced the bond, conditioned on her hiring her own attorney.

According to online court records, Hinson is represented by court-appointed Oklahoma Indigent Defense System attorney Peter C. Astor, and Furney is represented by attorney Douglas Schmuck of Poteau.

According to affidavits filed in district court, Furney told investigators Hinson’s name is on the baby’s birth certificate, but he is not the baby’s biological father.

An emergency room doctor told investigators the baby had bleeding in his brain due to blunt force trauma, and a scan indicated both a recent and an old skull fracture.

LeFlore County District Attorney’s Office investigator Travis Saulsberry stated he observed a baby with bruising around the neck, left lower leg and a shoeprint on his chest.

Under Oklahoma law, if convicted on the murder charge, Hinson could face a sentence of death, life imprisonment or life imprisonment without parole.

If convicted on the enabling child abuse charge, Furney could face a sentence of imprisonment up to life, up to a year in the county jail and a fine ranging from $500 to $5,000.