Man allegedly shook baby and caused brain damage

JONESBORO, Arkansas (KAIT) – A 25-year-old Jonesboro man is in custody after police say he violently shook a three-month-old baby, causing brain damage.

Craighead County District Judge Tommy Fowler found Wednesday that there was sufficient probable cause to charge David Becker with second-degree domestic violence.

Detective Adam Hampton said the Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children Unit contacted him on Monday, Sept. 23, about a baby with brain damage at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock.

According to the affidavit, the baby suffered from bilateral brain hematomas and severe retinal hemorrhage behind the eyes.

Becker initially told a CACD investigator that he threw the baby in the air and caught it. When the baby later began to have a seizure, he called emergency services.

However, Hampton said a doctor at Children's Hospital found the baby had suffered a spinal cord injury as well as bleeding in the brain and behind the eyes.

“I asked the doctor what could have caused the injuries and she told me that the brain and spinal cord injuries were caused by rapid acceleration of the head and violent shaking or hitting of the baby,” Hampton explained.

The next day, Hampton interviewed Becker and his wife.

“[Becker] told me he was frustrated and that the baby had spit up, and he threw the baby on the bed where he landed on his stomach and hit his head on the bed,” Hampton wrote in the affidavit.

The detective subsequently explained to Becker that the injuries had been caused by someone shaking the baby.

“He told me he held the child in his arms and shook him back and forth for about two minutes while giving him a bottle,” Hampton explained. “I asked him if the baby's head was swinging back and forth, and he told me, 'A little bit.'”

Following questioning, Hampton arrested Becker and transported him to the Craighead County Detention Center, where he will be held on $100,000 cash bail pending his November 14 appearance in District Court.

Judge Fowler also imposed a restraining order.

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