Man convicted of killing newborn son who was reportedly 'shaken to the point of breaking his neck'

SOUTH PASADENA, Calif. (TCN) -- A 31-year-old man faces 26 years to life in state prison for charges related to the death of his newborn baby, as well as the assault of the child's mother.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced that a jury convicted Christopher Richmond on Oct. 7 on one count of assault on a child causing death and one count of injuring a spouse, cohabitant, fiancé, boyfriend, girlfriend, or child’s parent. The jury found him not guilty of assaulting his partner by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, and they were deadlocked 11-1 for the murder charge.

According to prosecutors, in April 2022, Richmond "pushed the baby’s mother to the ground during her pregnancy, willfully inflicting a bodily injury." Several months later, on or about Sept. 25, 2022, Richmond was reportedly the only one caring for his 7-week-old son when he "deprived the infant of oxygen, causing him to go into cardiac arrest." Paramedics and law enforcement officials arrived and found the infant unconscious and not breathing. He was transported to a hospital.

According to KTTV-TV, Deputy District Attorney Brian Rosenberg told jurors Richmond reported to authorities that the infant had stopped breathing while he was feeding him. Rosenberg called it "eerie" because Richmond was "acting calm" and "like he doesn't care."

Richmond allegedly waited 15 to 20 minutes before calling 911 and refused to go to the baby's hospital room. Prosecutors said the infant was taken off life support on Feb. 17, 2023, and pronounced deceased. An autopsy reportedly revealed the baby boy died of multiple blunt force traumatic injuries.

According to KTTV, a physician determined the boy had suffered broken ribs from two prior incidents. The victim also purportedly sustained a broken leg and a cervical fracture after he was "shaken to the point of breaking his neck."

In a statement, Gascón said, "The death of this defenseless baby is unconscionable and one of the most heinous crimes an individual can commit. Mothers and their children deserve our protection as some of the most vulnerable members of our society."