A grand jury indicted a Florida man on a first-degree murder charge in the beating death of his 7-week-old son whom police said gasped for air for hours after the attack, eventually choking on a diaper wipe.
The indictment came Tuesday, some four and a half months after the body of Chance Walsh was found in a shallow grave near Sarasota. Investigators say Chance was buried near the family home in Sarasota before his parents left Florida to start a new life.
Authorities say Joseph Walsh beat and choked the baby on Sept. 16. The child's mother, Kristin Bury, told investigators she and Walsh were arguing Sept. 16 when he began hitting Chance.
Bury pleaded no contest to aggravated manslaughter and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. As part of a plea deal, she will testify against Walsh in court.
Authorities said Bury led them to the child's body on Oct. 15 after the couple was arrested in South Carolina. Neither parent sought medical treatment for the baby, officials said.
The Herald-Tribune reports prosecutors aren't seeking the death penalty because the case doesn't meet the statutory criteria. If convicted, Walsh faces a mandatory life sentence.
Information on an attorney for Walsh was not immediately available.
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Story courtesy of our news partners at NBCMiami.com.
