"Caretaking" dad sentenced to 10 years for abuse of infant twin sons (St. Charles, Missouri)

Dad ANTHONY J. WAMSER has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for abusing his infant twin sons. Like many of these cases, Dad was the primary caretaker while the mother worked.

http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/st-louis-crime-beat/2009/11/19/father-sentenced-to-10-years-in-prison-for-abusing-twin-sons-in-st-charles/

11.19.2009 3:54 pm
Father sentenced to 10 years in prison for abusing twin sons in St. Charles
By Shane Anthony
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Anthony J. Wamser, 23, formerly of St. Charles, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for abusing his twin sons when they were six months old.

A pediatrician discovered the boys’ injuries in May. They were taken to St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in Creve Coeur, where Wamser spoke with St. Charles Police Detective Stephanie Kaiser. She testified at the sentencing hearing this morning.

Kaiser said Wamser tried at first to say the boys had fallen or otherwise accidentally suffered the injuries. But Kaiser she she knew the boys had more than bruises. They had multiple clavicle fractures and broken ribs that were in different stages of healing, she said.

Eventually, Wamser admitted what had happened, Kaiser said. She said he told her he had squeezed the boys hard enough to crack their ribs. He also shoved them roughly into a recliner, and, in one boy’s case, jammed a spoon into his mouth while feeding him, causing an injury under his tongue, she said.

The boys had bite and scratch marks on their bodies, Kaiser said. She said doctors found their weights and heights to be very low for their age.

Wamser’s attorneys, Robert Goldson and Jeffrey Sandcork, called a psychologist and one of Wamser’s grandmothers to testify. He has been living with the grandmother in St. Louis since he was released from jail on bond.

The psychologist testified that Wamser had a low opinion of himself for a long time, leading to feelings of inadequacy that may have brought on the violence. The grandmother testified that Wamser had done well while living with her.

Wamser apologized to his wife and children. He was taking care of the boys while his wife worked when the injuries occurred. He said he tried everything he could think of to calm them when they were crying.

The first time he used enough force to injure them, he said, he decided not to tell anyone. He said he feared losing his marriage, and he believed he could control his anger. When he became aware of the extent of the injuries, he said, he wanted to kill himself.

“I’m so incredibly sorry for what I’ve done,” Wamser said.

Wamser’s attorneys asked Circuit Judge Nancy Schneider to allow him to continue treatment to control his anger. He always will be the boys’ father, they said, and a long prison term wouldn’t solve the problem.

Assistant prosecutor Steven Kobal said Wamser inflicted cruel punishment on helpless children, then hid his actions. Kobal asked for seven-year sentences on each count — the maximum allowed. He said he would let the court decide whether to run them concurrently or consecutively.

Schneider said she was struck by a picture of the tiny twin boys and how their size compared to Wamser’s large frame. “You didn’t protect them from the most dangerous thing in your environment, which was you,” Schneider said.

A report said the boys have gained weight, although they have developmental delays, Schneider said. It also said they suffered 11 broken bones. “Some crimes are so heinous and cruel that they are not deserving of the opportunity to continue to live in a free society,” she said.

She sentenced Wamser to five years in prison on each count.