"Loving" dad gets 34 years for killing 8-week-old son (Denver, Colorado)

Dad STEPHEN DAILEY has been sentenced to 34 years in prison for killing his infant son. Notice that the usual gaggle of enablers showed up in court, all swearing that this killer daddy was "compassionate and loving" and "a good person." Hogwash. A "good person" doesn't assault a little person who only weighs 13 pounds--and no, I don't personally give a sh** how "frustrated" you were over a crying baby. 

Notice that people who actually worked with killer daddy didn't think he was such a "good person" at all. In fact, one co-worker testified that he was an "angry man."

http://www.9news.com/news/article/192470/188/Father-gets-34-years-for-shaking-baby-in-emotional-sentencing

Father gets 34 years for shaking baby8:17 AM, Apr 9, 2011

DENVER - In courtroom 5C, Valerie Cox took a deep breath and made sure she had a tissue in hand.

"I'm just thinking about everything that Matthew had to go through and all that he is not going to be able to experience," she said.

She watched her ex-husband walk in with handcuffs and ankle shackles. He pleaded guilty to shaking their infant son and causing his death.

Stephen Dailey was there for his sentencing.

His parents and grandparents and friends sat behind him. His mother, Teresa Dailey, told the judge her son is compassionate and loving and was always a good person. She says she is baffled by all of this.

"I never saw Stephen get angry with his son. He was thrilled to be a dad," Dailey said.

"Stephen is horrified that what he did in fact resulted in such extreme harm and pain and loss," Marshall Seiver, Stephen Dailey's attorney, said.

He said he never meant to hurt Matthew and the incident was totally uncharacteristic of him.

Matthew was 8 weeks old and weighed 13 pounds when his dad shook him. He was just learning to smile, but like every baby, he cried too.

Det. Martin Vigil is a 27-year veteran of the Denver Police Department. He says he found Dailey to be a very frustrated and angry man.

In an interview with detectives, Dailey said, "I was watching TV, trying to relax, it was a long day and Matthew started crying."

He told investigators that the crying got louder and louder.

"I tried to ignore it, but I couldn't. I picked him up and I shook him up and down continuously," he told investigators.

A video in the courtroom of the interview showed Dailey holding a doll and demonstrating how he shook Matthew then threw him four times onto a bed.

"Stephen Dailey made a series of choices out of frustration and anger that within minutes effectively ended the life of his son," Denver Deputy District Attorney Dominique Waples-Tresil said.

Matthew died in his mother's arms 32 days after he was shaken.

Waples-Tresil said the greatest tragedy is that this crime is preventable.

"Maybe a couple of deep breaths, maybe a step outside just to calm down for a second and this might never have happened," Waples-Tresil said.

Stephen Dailey walked to the podium with handcuffs on his wrists and shackles on his ankles.

"I do want to say that yes, I made a mistake," he said.

He took a deep breath and added, "I take responsibility for what I have done and I ask for forgiveness for me from the Lord and from Valerie and my family."

He talked about nothing changing what happened and that he was asking for mercy from the judge.

Judge Kenneth Laff told Dailey there was simply no more horrible crime than this. He says the message in this case is not in the 34-year sentence he gave Dailey.

"I think the message is if you shake your baby they will never be the same and your baby may well die. That is the message that we need to spread," Laff said.

Cox asked for the maximum sentence, which was 38 years, but says she feels fine about 34. She says she has to be o.k. with it. Now she will focus on spreading the message Judge Laff talked about.

"What is done is done. Matthew is passed away and Stephen is sentenced. Now I just really hope we can get a message out that children are fragile and we have to protect them," Cox said.

9NEWS and The Children's Hospital have teamed up for an awareness campaign called "Give Your Word." You can find more information at www.giveyourword.org. Parents can take the pledge to protect children and give their word to never shake a baby.