Dad blames death of 3-week-old daughter on two cats (Liberty, Missouri)

What is this? Blame Your Pet week?

First we had the Florida daddy HERBERT WADE PRIESTER, who tried to blame Bandit the dog for abusing the baby (though there were no bite or scratch marks on the child).

Now we have dad TRISTAN WILLIAMS blaming the baby's death on TWO CATS. Are you kidding me? So you would have us believe that two psycho kitties managed to inflict fatal brain swelling and hemorrhaging, multiple fractures, and abrasions to the face and spinal cord on an infant who wasn't even a month old? And where was the babysitting dad while this nefarious feline assault was taking place?

Of course, the story MIGHT have been more believable if Dad hadn't been investigated for child neglect before. Oh, and there's that little thing about a domestic assault arrest just a week before the baby's murder. What's that about, hmm?

But never fear. No matter how bad you are, some clueless enabler will come to the rescue and defend your deadbeat @$$. He's "never been the type to hurt children"!

Wrong.

http://www.kctv5.com/news/22606849/detail.html

Metro Father Charged In Infant’s Death
Man Says Cats Knocked Baby Out Of Bouncing Chair

POSTED: 8:00 pm CST February 18, 2010
UPDATED: 8:17 pm CST February 18, 2010

LIBERTY, Mo. -- A metro father is in trouble in connection with the death of his own child.

Court documents said 11 injuries are listed as the cause of death and the prosecuting attorney said he's never had a case where the victim was less than 30 days old.

The suspect in the case is the father of the 3-week-old baby, Tristan Williams. He was arrested at his Liberty apartment two days ago after the baby died at Children's Mercy Hospital.

The story he told doctors and police was that he placed the infant in a bouncing chair in her crib and that his two cats knocked the baby over. Clay County Prosecutor Dan White said the evidence says otherwise.

"He was charged with abuse of a child resulting in death, so I think it's fair to say I don't believe the story of the cats," he said.

Williams was watching the child while the baby's mother went to a doctor's appointment. He said after he found the child tipped over in the seat he placed her across his lap on her stomach and began patting her on the back.

Doctors said the baby suffered from brain swelling and hemorrhaging, multiple fractures, abrasions to the face and spinal cord.

Williams was picked up by Liberty police at a friend's house. She didn't want to be identified but the friend said Williams had never been the type to hurt children.

"It was a really big shock," she said. "I've known this person for at least 12 years and they've watched my own kids several times and they absolutely love him. He was so excited to be having a baby."

White said young parents often times can't handle the pressures of caring for an infant, which increases abuse cases resulting in death.

"When you deal with a young child who has the lack of ability to relay that something is wrong other than crying a lot of times that child is not accustomed to responding to that instant gratification we are accustomed t seeing in our society," White said.

White said he has called on other prosecutors and mental health officials to address the problem. Court documents revealed that in 2002 and 2003, Williams was questioned by the division of family services regarding child neglect of two other kids. He was also arrested on a charge of domestic assault two weeks ago.