Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Dad pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter of 2-month-old son; claims baby's death was an "accident" from his PTSD (Lowell, Massachusetts)

Mom is right. Dad CHRISTOPHER BERRY's excuses are bull. This was no "accident" on his part.

I know lots of mothers with PTSD from years of ongoing abuse and trauma, and they don't kill the kids, "accidentally" or otherwise.  In fact, they're still trying to do their best to protect them.

http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/27632833/lowell-father-to-change-plea-in-shaken-baby-death

Lowell father pleads guilty in son's shaken-baby death

Posted: Dec 15, 2014 3:55 PM EST Updated: Dec 15, 2014 5:11 PM EST

LOWELL, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- An Army veteran from Lowell faced a judge Monday entering a guilty plea in the May, 2013 shaking death of his 2-month-old son.

"I am here today because I accidentally killed my son, William," Christopher Berry said as he pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter on Monday.

He originally pleaded not guilty to second degree murder, but changed his plea once the charge was reduced. Prosecutors say Berry shook his son William to death after getting frustrated with the boy's crying.

"He was a beautiful baby. I saw him come into this world and I got to see him leave this world," said Lisa Cupan, William Berry's maternal grandmother.

Lisa Cupan and her daughter Sarah Cupan read victim impact statements in court Monday.

"No one should have to go through that. Especially my mother. She shouldn't have had to gone through that. And my sister. They're broken. That's a baby," Sarah Cupan said.

Berry served with the Army National Guard from 2008 to 201, and did one tour of duty in Afghanistan.His unit was attacked by a suicide bomber in 2011, and he's been treated for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder since returning home.

Lisa and Sarah Cupan say they just don't believe William's death was an accident.

"People have PTSD, and they don't kill babies," Lisa said.

"That's bull. It wasn't an accident," Sarah Cupan said. "Did you hear him? He was said it was an accident. No."

He was sentenced to 12 to 16 years in prison, a sentence William's grandmother says isn't long enough

"Change the law," Lisa said. "Take a life, get life."