VANCOUVER, Wash. – A 24-year-old Vancouver man has been charged with murder after he admitted to throwing his "fussy baby" onto a changing table, causing a fatal brain injury.After questioning, David Redmond also told police he regularly abused his 1-month-old son Everett every few days since his birth.
Everett was born underdeveloped at 3 pounds 14 ounces.
Redmond, who lives with his wife and a roommate on Todd Road, initially called 911 around 3 a.m. on October 16 to report that his son had stopped breathing.
When an ambulance arrived, Redmond's wife was performing CPR on the child. Redmond told officers he had fallen asleep with Everett and when he woke up, the baby was wedged in between the couch and a chair. He also worried he may have rolled over on Everett, court documents said.
The baby was taken by ambulance to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center then transferred to Randall Children's Hospital, where doctors found evidence of a skull fracture, swelling outside the boy's skull, as well as bleeding inside the skull underneath the fracture.
Doctors also said Everett had "extensive hemorrhaging" in his eyes that extended "all the way out to the periphery," Detective Jason Hafer said.
The injuries couldn't have been caused by Redmond rolling over on his son, doctors said.
Everett was put on life support but doctors said he had no brain activity. He was taken off life support and pronounced dead around 4 p.m. October 18.
Redmond was arrested the next day, after admitting to throwing his son across the room in a fit of rage.
Detective Hafer, who arrested Redmond, recounted the suspect's admission in court documents released Monday.
After Hafer pointed out inconsistencies in Redmond's story, the suspect told police that Everett had been "really fussy" when he got home from work, so he dropped him on the changing table, causing the baby to hit his head on a wooden rail.
The baby started crying and let out a "really intense yell," he said.
Redmond then admitted that he was around a foot or more away from the changing table and held Everett at his eye level before pulling the baby over his head and throwing him toward the changing table.
"I threw him pretty hard. I was pretty annoyed," Redmond said.
During a subsequent investigation, detectives estimated the distance the baby was thrown at between seven-and-a-half to nine feet.
Redmond said he knew something bad happened to the baby, but hoped it was from the chair incident and not from being thrown.
Redmond also told police he had hurt the baby in the past during moments of frustration. He admitted to holding the baby's mouth shut at his jaw to keep him from crying; throwing the baby against a couch, causing him to fall on the floor; squeezing the baby; throwing him onto the bed; and spanking the baby to the point of bruising when he was just a week old.
Ever since his son was born, Redmond said he hurt Everett on average of two or three times per week.
Redmond was charged with first-degree murder and held on $750,000 bail.
Redmond's criminal record includes just one criminal mischief charge, from five years ago in Central Oregon. He moved to Vancouver around that same time, according to court records.
He told police he does not have mental health, drug or alcohol problems.
Redmond's next court appearance was set for October 23.
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