Illinois Dad Struck 6-Week-Old Son's Head So Hard He Fractured His Skull

A man from Illinois was reportedly charged with aggravated battery and now faces up to 30 years in prison after he allegedly struck his six-week-old son's head, resulting in a skull fracture.

Alexander N. King, a 22-year-old resident of North Greengold Road, Hanna City appeared in Peoria County Circuit Court on Wednesday. He was charged with aggravated battery, with the bond set at $150,000. King is facing up to 30 years in prison, the Journal Star reported.

A representative of the Department of Children and Family Services called Peoria County Sheriff's Office deputies to an area hospital on Monday, Assistant State's Attorney Terry Muench said.

According to the prosecutor, the injuries indicated that someone had hit the child on both sides of his head. Though King initially denied hurting the infant, he later admitted that he had gotten into an argument with the baby's mother and squeezed the infant's head "a little too hard," Muench said. King also confessed that he struck the infant, the prosecutor said.

The minimum sentence King could receive is six years in jail. If convicted, he would have to serve at least 85% of any prison term imposed. Probation is reportedly not an option on the charge. King is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 2.

Meanwhile, a father from the Bronx was sentenced to 12 years in prison in March after reportedly throwing his infant son to the ground.

Christian Rodriguez pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 2019 death of his six-week-old son. After his prison sentence, he also faces five years of post-release supervision, PIX11 reported.

"The defendant's newborn was crying, and instead of comforting him, the defendant threw him to the ground, ending his life," Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said. "The defendant's violence is unconscionable and unfitting of any parent."

The 27-year-old father initially told investigators that he accidentally hit his son's head on a bedroom doorframe. However, he later admitted he angrily threw the baby to the ground.

"I got angry and threw Aiden to the ground face first," Rodriguez said. "I got frustrated and threw him to the ground."

The baby was taken to Lincoln Hospital with no pulse and was not breathing, court documents stated. A scan found he suffered fractures to his skull, an acute subdural hemorrhage, a scattered left acute subarachnoid hemorrhage, a midline shift of the brain and bruising to both sides of the head.