U.S. soldier charged in infant's death

[alp227]

Source: CNN

New York (CNN) -- A decorated U.S. Army soldier allegedly admitted he killed a 4-month-old girl he and his wife were trying to adopt, police said Friday.

Pfc. Jeffrey Sliker was charged in the death of Laurne Clark, also known as Mollie Sliker, after police responded to a call from the couple's house on Wednesday, according to Julie Call, a court spokeswoman in Watertown, New York.

Police say they found the infant with no obvious external injuries, but an autopsy later revealed blunt force trauma to the skull as the cause of death, according to Watertown Police spokesman Frank Derrigo.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/03/25/new.york.soldier.infant/index.html

[virgogal]

1. I never can get my head around things like this. So tragic. Poor

little baby.

[MrsBrady]

2. the article doesn't say...but I wonder

with no visible external injuries...

sounds like it might be shaken baby syndrome. and or he hit her head on something while shaking her, or something like that.


horrible, just horrible...and sad.

[Robb]

3. Before my daughter was born...

... I was talked into attending a "daddy boot camp" session, something I rather pooh-poohed beforehand. I pictured men beating drums, I suppose, and discussing diapers.

It turned out to be a good program, let by a facilitator and several new dads. One of the big topics was shaken babies, and how we (men) do almost all of it. The most mild-mannered of the new fathers, one I identified with at the beginning of the session, talked about his new baby boy and how wonderful it was to be a father -- and then related a harrowing tale of a sleep-deprived man tending to an inconsolable baby, at the end of his frayed rope. How he had to put the baby down, crying, and step into another room to weep for a few minutes before he could come back and deal with the situation.

He lifted his hands above his head. "When you throw a football, or a javelin, or swing a racquet, this is where you start from, because this is where you are strongest," he said, his eyes quite dark. "And this is where you find yourself holding a crying child. It won't stop crying, and you have the strength to stop it, right there in your arms. One quick shake, or a swing."

Chilling. He admitted he had no idea what would've happened had he not been part of this "daddy boot camp" program, and been somewhat forewarned. I never found myself as far down that road as this, thankfully, but I certainly could see it from where I was standing from time to time.

No excuse, of course. But the statistics are not to be taken lightly.

[Devil_Fish]

4. My little girl is almost two. I'm a first time dad, and I can't even imagine doing any harm to her.

I have never felt angry with her. I would give my life for her. I can't understand how any one could harm a child, but then I've never served in the military eaither.

[bethfully]

5. I'm a mom of 3 boys and I understand how

hard it is to imagine hurting your own child. It certainly has to do with many factors, but having had 2 out of my 3 boys be difficult sleepers and one of them very emotionally volatile, I can say that the temperament of the baby also plays a factor. If you combine a parent with a short fuse, serious sleep deprivation, and a baby with high levels of emotional volatility, you have the potential for this kind of thing. Not an excuse by any stretch. Just something I can imagine, having been at my wit's end with serious sleep deprivation and a baby who could not be soothed night after night after night. It was only my strong commitment to do no harm (the ability to put that baby down and walk away until you can pick him/her up again and control yourself) and the fact that I had a husband who participated and shared the load that I think saved me from some potentially very dark moments. It's a very difficult road. Some people don't know what they've signed up for before hand and don't have the internal regulation to handle it. Daddy bootcamp sounds like a great idea.