Mother Talkers

This guy makes my stomach turn

by Kay

Wed Mar 26, 2008 at 02:17:53 PM PDT

(Cross-posted at The Workin' Mom)

Oh. my. god. This story literally makes my stomach hurt.

A 20-year-old father in Galveston, Texas, was convicted today of felony injury to a child for -- brace yourselves -- putting his then 2-month-old infant in a hotel microwave ... and then turning it on for 10-20 seconds. He already had reportedly punched the baby and put her in the hotel safe and fridge at some point, according to the story that you can read by clicking here.

Oh, and I bet you guessed it already. Yep. He claimed he was insane at the time of the abuse. The prosecution’s experts didn’t buy that, and neither did the jury.

The baby, named Ana, is one year old now. She still has wounds that need cleaned every day, according to her foster mother. Officials say Ana suffered second- and third-degree burns to her left ear, cheek, hand and shoulder and needed skin grafts.

Doesn’t this make you heartsick? I think about my two precious kids, and I just cannot imagine doing something like this to them -- or to any baby, period.

And what’s the possible punishment for this guy? The story says he faces "anything from probation to life in prison." Probation?! That’s actually an option in this case? I’m shaking my head in disgust right now.

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Tags: microwave, baby, father, probation, prison (all tags)

Permalink | 12 comments

  • Local story here (0 / 0)

    very similar, but it was the mom and the baby died...

    Coroner's officials have said the baby suffered high-heat internal injuries and had no external burns.

    She was drunk and had a fight with the baby's father.

    Sick, sad, disgusting...

    by GiGi on Wed Mar 26, 2008 at 02:46:23 PM PDT

  • he got 25 years (0 / 0)

    according to this story.

    My question in reading this horrifically sad story is...where is the little girl's mom?

    by Erika on Wed Mar 26, 2008 at 03:02:30 PM PDT

    • Thanks for the update (0 / 0)

      I hadn't seen the wire stories yet about his sentencing. So, thanks for telling us about it.

      The stories say the girl's mom had gone out somewhere, and I don't know where -- but apparently the family had just moved. That's why they were staying in a hotel, maybe?

      Prosecution said he did this because he was acting out against being "stuck in a loveless marriage" and being left alone with the baby. God.

      by Kay on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:29:06 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  • Fck this guy (0 / 0)

    Or anyone else that would do such a thing! Erika has a point, where was/is mom?

    After reading stuff like this I wish I could go live on a little island with no t.v., no phones, no news; I'd sell coconuts and play with my kids all day. This kind of stuff makes me so sad. Since having kids I can't handle reading things like this... I even have a hard time watching certian movies.

    Thankfully, she is ok with what I hope is a very loving foster mom.

    by sandrab on Wed Mar 26, 2008 at 03:11:09 PM PDT

  • My sotmach just wrenched (0 / 0)

    Poor baby!

    What do you mean, uh-oh? baby pictures

    by round peg inna square hole on Wed Mar 26, 2008 at 04:53:03 PM PDT

  • And our society is so kind-hearted (0 / 0)

    ...there is no way we could force sterilization on this a$$ so that he would not procreate again.

    Because that would violate his "human" rights.

    by MsMarvel on Wed Mar 26, 2008 at 08:52:51 PM PDT

  • Burn him at the stake, slowly, he's garbage (0 / 0)

    by mercedes99 on Wed Mar 26, 2008 at 09:26:29 PM PDT

  • Feeling emotional (0 / 0)

    The last couple of days I can't muster up much anger or outrage, which is just as well.  But once again, I feel horribly sick and sad.

    by Erin on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 09:22:48 AM PDT

  • I had nightmares (0 / 0)

    all last night about this.  All that happened to the poor little girl in only 15 seconds.  So, even if mom had been there and tried to help her, all it would have taken was for dad to stand in the way.  Oh, poor, poor baby.

    What do you mean, uh-oh? baby pictures

    by round peg inna square hole on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:14:24 AM PDT

  • Another horrible story (0 / 0)

    In Iowa City, about an hour away from where I live, the big story is about another sick father -- who police say killed his wife and four children by bludgeoning them, most likely with a baseball bat, and then killed himself in a fiery crash on the highway.

    He did this after attempting to kill the kids by running the car with the garage door closed, and when that didn't work, he took them inside and beat their torsoes and heads until they were dead ... one by one.

    He left detailed notes and voicemails to various people throughout the process, until he called 911 to get authorities to the house and then took off in the family's vehicle to kill himself.

    In his notes, he says he had tried to kill himself in a lake, after killing his family, but that he had "just floated."

    The dad had been charged months ago for stealing a lot of money from the bank he used to work at, and said in the notes/calls that he just thought it would be best for the family if they were all dead.

    Horrifying. Truly.

    by Kay on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:40:45 AM PDT

  • WHY (0 / 0)

    .. aren't psyciatrists making this a very high topic?  I simply cannot understand why, in this day and age, people with children do this.  (And this includes all abandoned babies -- in trash cans, etc.).  Just give the baby up for adoption -- true infants are snapped up by adoptive parents.

    It is a psychological problem, which I don't understand.  But some do, and should tackle it.

    by Shell on Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 07:37:31 AM PDT

Permalink | 12 comments