Teen father sentenced in infant son’s death

TULSA, Okla. — A Delaware County man was sentenced to more than eight years for fatally shaking his three-month-old baby for continuously crying.

Samson Frye, Jr., 24, of rural Afton, appeared in U.S. Federal Court in Tulsa, where he was sentenced to 97 months for voluntary manslaughter in Indian Country.

The infant’s continuous crying led to a frustrated Frye shaking the baby and dropping him, according to his plea agreement.

Frye had just turned 19 years old when he was charged in Delaware County District Court in 2018 with murder, and the baby’s mother had just turned 17 at the time of the infant’s death, court records show.

Frye’s murder case was dismissed in January 2023 due to jurisdictional issues, and he was later charged in federal court.

The baby’s mother was never charged in state or federal court.

Both teenage parents came from broken homes, and Frye’s family members and friends report the mother was suffering “from serious mental health issues” following the baby’s birth and she had “long crying spells and became easily frustrated” when the baby cried, “often yelling at the infant,” according to the sentencing memorandum.

Frye’s attorneys cited “a challenging childhood” and “drug addicts and alcoholic” parents who “did not provide a safe or stable household while he was growing up” for a lesser sentence, court records show.

As a teen, Frye participated in sports and church activities, but by age 17, he pleaded guilty to robbery offenses and was released on a deferred sentence, court records show.

During interviews with law enforcement, both parents admitted to dropping the infant on more than one occasion and acted carelessly while tending to his needs, the report states.

The baby was reported to have several injuries, including subdural hemorrhages, retinal hemorrhages, and multiple rib fractures in various states of healing, which were caused “by a shaking (acceleration/deceleration) event with or without impact,” according to a medical report.

The infant’s “injuries were inconsistent with normal, accidental drops or falls,” records show.

During the sentencing, federal prosecutors produced six telephone calls between Henderson and Frye, where he was begging Henderson to say she was responsible for the baby’s death.

What Happened?

On Nov. 9, 2018, Frye’s infant son was admitted to Grove Integris Hospital for breathing difficulties and later to Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, where he was placed on life support and died five days later.

Frye confessed to being woken up in the middle of the night by the infant’s cries. In an effort to stop the baby from crying, he took the baby outside.

The National Weather Service in Tulsa reported the average temperature on Nov. 8 was 43° and 37° on Nov. 9.

Why is Shaking a Baby Dangerous?

• Violent shaking for just a few seconds has the potential to cause severe injuries. While shaking may cause injury to children of any age, babies are most susceptible to injury during their first year of life. Factors that contribute to a baby’s vulnerability include:
• Babies’ heads are heavy and large in proportion to their body size.
• Babies have weak neck muscles.
• Babies have fragile, undeveloped brains.
• There is a large difference in size and strength between the victim and the perpetrator.

Source: National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome

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