Minutes after an Indiana man was sentenced for killing his 3-month-old son on Wednesday, the baby’s uncle reportedly attacked him. Initially facing up to 40 years or more, the defendant took a plea deal that allowed him to get out of prison after 19 years, which may have possibly triggered the attack.
NBC 14 reports that as 23-year-old baby killer Kwin Boes was walking through the door of a Gibson County courtroom while escorted by deputies, when a man who stood waiting for him punched him in the face. The blow sent one of Boes’ jailhouse sandals flying in the air and left blood dripping from his mouth.
The man, identified as the baby’s uncle, Jeremiah Hartley, is now facing a battery charge.
“He’s going through some things. He’s upset anyway. That really upset him just to see him come out, I don’t know if he heard how much time he got or if he was just upset about his nephew,” the baby’s grandmother said, according to 44News. “This is a horrible crime.”
According to court documents, Boes told police that on May 3, 2018, that he fed his infant son, Parker Boes, and fell asleep on the couch at his girlfriend’s home in Patoka.
The man said he woke up to find the infant on the floor by the couch. Boes claimed the baby may have fell out of his “boppy pillow” and hit his head. Parker was later pronounced dead at Riley’s Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis.
On May 4, medical personnel notated that the baby had hemorrhaging to both of his eyes, a brain hemorrhage, and bruising to the left side of the penis. He also had a ligament strain to his neck.
An autopsy revealed that the incident didn’t happen as Boes described. Parker died from blunt force trauma to the head that couldn’t have been caused from falling from a couch. The baby’s death was listed as a homicide.
Kwin Boes Affidavit by on Scribd
According to a probable cause affidavit, Parker’s mother, Jayme Hartley, told police that she left the baby with Boes while she took her other children to school. At around 8:22 a.m. that morning, she said Boes called her and she could hear Parker crying in the background. Boes told her that the baby was gasping for air and his body was limp.
Last month, Boes’ murder trial was canceled when he agreed to a guilty plea of domestic battery resulting in death. The plea agreement canceled out two previous level 1 felony charges of aggravated battery and neglect of a dependent resulting in death. The previous charges would have resulted in Boes spending 20 to 40 years behind bars on each charge.
Gibson Superior Court Judge Robert Krieg sentenced Boes to 19 years in prison. Following his release, Boes must spend a year on home detention and five years on probation. Upon release, he’ll also have to make restitution for Parker’s funeral expenses.
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[Feature Photo: Parker Boes/Police Handout]
