A North Carolina man named Sterling Harrison Cummings was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse in connection with the death of his infant son. The man had also served jail time for abusing his other newborn boy nearly a decade ago, police say.
The 33-year-old man has been accused of murdering his three-month-old son Waylon. According to ABC News, the man was apparently babysitting while the boy's mother went out to get groceries. When she returned, she found out that the baby was not breathing and the bottle she prepared for him was not been given.
A neighbour performed CPR and called 911. The boy was taken to a nearby hospital and the doctors said that Waylon was suffering from retinal haemorrhaging (bleeding in the eye's retina) and had an abnormal MRI.
According to police, Mr Cummings gave many inconsistent statements. Unfortunately, the baby died from his injuries and his death was ruled as a homicide.
The man was charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse. It's the second time he has faced a child abuse charge.
In August 2012, Mr Cummings was living with his girlfriend and their son, Andy, a three-week-old boy. He was rushed to the hospital after being shaken by the man.
The shaking caused permanent brain damage. The boy was left blind and suffered from cerebral palsy. Andy's mother was also charged but was never prosecuted, ABC reported.
Tracy and Allan Trepcyk adopted Cummings two children. They were present at Tuesday's court appearance.
"We tried to tell everybody that he was going to do this again," Tracy said.
Mr Cummings had pleaded guilty to felony child abuse in 2013.
"I'm just hoping that, under this circumstance, they get this right," said Tracy.
"I'll never be able to wrap my arms around it," said Allan. "I just know that he is a dangerous individual and he needs to be put away."
Mr Cummings has pending charges of assault on a female stemming from a 2022 incident.
