A Jamestown man has been charged with murder in connection to the death of an 8-month-old child.
The Chautauqua County District Attorney's Office announced that 26-year-old Sean Thomas was arraigned Monday on an eight-count indictment charging him with second-degree murder and related crimes in connection to the death of 8-month-old Aniyah Turk.
According to the district attorney's office, Thomas is accused of intentionally strangling and shaking Turk on April 22nd and earlier which caused "catastrophic and unrecoverable injuries." Turk was hospitalized and on life support until she died from her injuries in May.
Thomas was held on bail of $1 million cash or, in the alternative, a $2 million property bond and is due back in court in July for further pre-trial proceedings.
Thomas was arrested in April when Turk was transported to an out-of-town hospital and was listed in critical condition.
Police: Jamestown man arrested for shaking and strangling 8-month-old child
"This is the second indictment arising from two baby deaths occurring in the City of Jamestown in April. It comes as the result of a comprehensive investigation conducted by investigators and juvenile detectives of Jamestown Police Department. Their efforts and professionalism deserve special recognition.
Aniyah’s death is actually one of three occurring here in Chautauqua County during the month of April. The previous indictment charged Matthew Nuttall with Manslaughter in the First Degree and related charges arising from the death of 16 month old Isaac Benton. As I said when that indictment was unsealed, what makes this string of tragedies even more difficult to come to terms with is that April was National Child Abuse Prevention Month meant to spotlight the need for increased public awareness of child abuse and neglect. In all my years of criminal work, and before then, during my years as a child welfare caseworker in New York City, I have never seen this number of child homicides in such a brief period of time. These are preventable crimes. Before April, if someone would have predicted that Chautauqua County would be afflicted with this many child tragedies in the span of a few weeks, I would have thought it unimaginable. We cannot let this trend continue. Each and every one of us must all be vigilant in looking out for and protecting the safety and well-being of our children. To the public, if you see something which leads you to suspect child abuse or neglect, say something. Report your suspicions by contacting your local police or calling the statewide child abuse hotline at 1-800-342-3720. Anyone who legitimately suspects child abuse or neglect can make a report, and may do so anonymously. There is no excuse for failing to act.”
- District Attorney Jason Schmidt
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