Dad on trial for 1st degree murder in death of 2-month-old son (Shalimar, Florida)

Dad STEVEN TAYLOR is on trial for the death of his 2-month-old son, who died from violent shaking and blunt-force injuries to the head. The baby had a fractured skull and other related brain injuries as well as "massive retinal bleeding." Seems the assault might have been related to Dad's interrupted video game. So "frustrating" having your game interrupted by a baby's needs, don't you know.

http://www.thedestinlog.com/news/taylor-27710-nwfdn-injuries-day.html

Shaken baby death case gets underway
April 06, 2010 12:17 PM
Tom McLaughlin
Northwest Florida Daily News

SHALIMAR — Cory Taylor was a healthy two-month-old child on the day in 2009 he suffered fatal injuries “at the very hands of a man who cared more that day about a video game than he did about his own child.”

That was Assistant State Attorney Bobby Elmore’s summation the case against Steven Taylor, who is being tried this week on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated battery on a child.

A conviction on the murder charge can carry a death sentence. However, Bill Bishop, chief assistant state attorney for Okaloosa County, said the state will not seek the death penalty.

The state alleges that on Jan. 22, 2009, Cory Taylor “was shaken and either struck or struck against something” by his father.

The child went immediately into cardiac arrest, according to Elmore’s theory. He died three months later on April 18 without regaining consciousness.

Cory Taylor suffered an acute skull fracture, and the injuries he suffered caused brain hemorrhaging, Elmore told 14 jurors Tuesday. Doctors found “massive retinal bleeding” behind the child’s eyes, Elmore said.

He said Steven Taylor had been interviewed by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in the days after Cory Taylor was injured. He told them that he had been bathing the child and left the room for a brief time to check on a video game that was playing, Elmore said.

Taylor told deputies he returned to find Cory had slipped beneath the water in the bath tub, Elmore said in his opening statement.

Taylor also told investigators that the child stopped breathing a short time after the incident, according to Elmore.

Doctors who examined the child didn’t buy the near-drowning story, Elmore said.

In opening arguments for the defense, Public Defender Clint Davis told jurors to look carefully at the evidence. He said there are several plausible theories as to how Cory Taylor died, including one in which the child’s mother accidently bumped his head against a doorway.

Davis said he believes evidence will show the skull fracture the child suffered could have occurred well before he went into cardiac arrest and Steve Taylor enlisted a neighbor help to rush him to the hospital.

Davis said he would present evidence showing the child had been lethargic and throwing up for some time before anyone noticed he was badly injured. He said he would also present testimony that head injuries sometimes are like a rock “slowly rolling downhill.” Evidence of the injury might not show up for days, Davis said.

“I expect the evidence will show a number of things that could have happened,” he said.

He urged jurors to “really watch carefully and try to understand this evidence and the medicine involved in it.”

“That’s what it’s all about really, there is no other evidence,” he said.

Elmore said Medical Examiner Andrea Minyard will testify that “Cory was killed by a combination of shaking and blunt-force impact.”

“She’ll tell you the manner of death is homicide,” Elmore said. “That two-month-old Cory could not hurt himself and Cory did not die as a result of an accident.”

Several physicians are expected to testify for the prosecution along with Randell Alexander, a leading authority on shaken baby syndrome and a member of the Florida Child Protection team.

Davis tried to diminish Alexander’s value. He portrayed him as a hired gun who makes a living testifying about the same topic.

“Mr. Alexander travels around the state testifying a lot,” Davis said. “He basically makes a living traveling around talking about shaken baby syndrome. He never saw this baby.”