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Pennsylvania Father Accused of Fatal Infant Shaking
11 Feb
Summary
- A father faces murder charges after his infant daughter died.
- The infant reportedly died after being violently shaken.
- The father admitted to shaking the baby when she wouldn't stop crying.
In New Holland, Pennsylvania, David Lee Souden, 47, is facing a third-degree murder charge following the death of his 3-month-old daughter. Souden initially faced assault and endangerment charges after calling police to his home on February 1 to report his unresponsive infant. The baby died on February 5 at Penn State Health Children's Hospital in Hershey.
Investigators allege Souden forcefully shook the infant when she refused to stop crying. He reportedly confessed to violently shaking the baby several times, causing her head to snap back. Souden stated the baby developed a blank stare, went limp, and changed colors. He admitted to attempting CPR when she stopped breathing before placing her in a bassinet and leaving, believing she was already dead and making no attempt to call 911.
Souden is being held on $500,000 bail. The incident underscores the severe risks associated with abusive head trauma, formerly known as shaken baby syndrome. Even brief shaking can cause irreversible brain damage, blindness, developmental delays, cerebral palsy, and seizures in infants.
