A teenage father was sentenced to three years in prison the death of his seven-week-old son.
Hiawatha Henry, 19, of the District pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in July.
According to prosecutors, on Aug. 28, 2009, Henry was caring for his twin seven-week-old sons at the family’s residence in the 1800 block of Bryant Street NE. Henry was playing a video came and became frustrated when one of his twins, Hiwatha Jackson, began crying.
Henry picked up the crying infant, and sat on a broken futon. He carelessly held and dropped the baby, causing the child’s head to strike a metal futon frame.
He ignored the baby’s crying, then went downstairs to get water. Later, he saw that his son was having trouble breathing, and called his aunt, who called 911.
When the medics arrived, Henry mislead them about what happened, prosecutors said. Henry said the baby had choked and vomited during his feeding. The baby was taken to Children’s National Medical Center.
Prosecutors said based on Henry’s misleading statements, medical personnel examined the baby and released him.
The baby returned home, but continued crying and coughing. He was taken to the hospital the next day, and diagnosed with bleeding on the brain. The hospital concluded that the injuries were non-accidental, prosecutors said. The infant died two days later.
