Father accused of violently shaking son gives up parental rights, infant continues to struggle with injuries

The Autism News | English

Brett Walsh

By Barton Deiters | MLive

GRAND RAPIDS — An 11-month-old infant continues to struggle with the injuries he suffered following a violent shaking almost eight months ago, allegedly at the hands of his father.

Brett Walsh agreed Monday to give up his parental rights to Viktor Walsh and is scheduled to plead guilty on Wednesday in Kent County Circuit Court, where he faces charges of first- and second-degree child abuse.

According to social workers and the child’s attorney, Viktor remains in foster care, where he is still fed through a tube, has a tracheotomy tube and also has a growing section on the back of his brain where cells continue to die.

Police reports say Viktor, then 3 months old, was shaken by his father so violently on Oct. 22 that it put the baby on life support for weeks. The damage to the baby’s brain could cause lifelong disabilities, according to reports.

The incident allegedly occurred at the couple’s Northeast Side apartment.

The growing area of dead brain cells is in the area thought to control speech and learning, said Bethany Benson, a foster-care social worker at D.A. Blodgett.

Police say during an interview, Walsh admitted to shaking the baby frequently, perhaps as many as 50 times during the fewer than 90 days the two spent time together.

“He said he’d flip and the baby was an outlet for him and the baby was there,” Grand Rapids Detective Kristen Rogers said of her interview with the father during a probable cause hearing in November.

While Walsh gave up his parental rights, the baby’s mother, Suzanne Fox, is undergoing therapy to improve her parenting skills. Fox, 26, has Asperger’s syndrome, a variant of autism, according to court testimony.

“(Fox) doesn’t understand the extent of Viktor’s long-term needs,” Benson said.

Family Court Judge Patricia Gardner ordered Fox to continue her therapy, avoid any contact with her son’s father and have limited, supervised visits with Viktor.

Fox is charged with second-degree child abuse and is free on bond. Walsh faces up to 15 years in prison on the child-abuse charges and remains in the Kent County Jail.

Source: http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/06/father_accused_of_violently_sh.html

Please share this news with friends, family and also with your contact list on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.