Father Strangled 5-Month-Old Baby Before He Died, Claims Mother On Trial

A woman on trial in New Zealand for the death of her 5-month-old child claimed she saw her husband strangle and hurt the baby.

The baby boy died in the Whangārei suburb of Raumanga on Aug. 22, 2019. On Monday, the woman's defense case began as she denied the charges against her. The 32-year-old mother, who was earlier charged with murder, now faces six charges related to the dead infant's treatment, Stuff.com reported.

Authorities said the child suffered multiple injuries over a period of time. The child's father was initially accused of murder after he said he hit the baby thrice in the chest when he did not stop crying.

However, a month after the child's death, the police charged the mother with murder, after dropping the charges against the father.

During the trial, the woman, who was not identified, said the father started working out with the infant as he wanted to make the child healthy. During one instance, the father allegedly squeezed the 5-month-old baby so tightly that the mother heard a snapping sound. In another instance, the mother walked into a room to find the father strangling the baby, Stuff.com reported.

The trial was ongoing.

Last month, a woman was taken into custody for throwing her 1-month-old baby at the child’s father during an argument at their home in Florida. The police said the infant suffered serious injuries after she hit the ground. According to the arrest report, Shana Vega pulled a knife at the child’s father during the argument, and then tossed the baby at him.

As the father failed to catch the baby, she landed face down on the floor. The baby’s right eye was swollen, her orbital bone was fractured, her nose was cut, her face was red, her brain was bleeding, and her liver was lacerated, the Sun-Sentinel reported at the time. Vega was arrested on charges including aggravated child abuse and cruelty, child neglect with great bodily harm, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.