D.A.: Father killed infant daughter
Coatesville man, 18, allegedly shook, threw 5-month-old, causing her death
COATESVILLE » A father has been arrested and charged with firstdegree murder for the death of his 5-month-old daughter, according to investigators.
Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan and the Coatesville Police Department announced on Thursday that murder charges and related offenses have been filed against Zion Isaiah Shockley, 18, of Coatesville, for allegedly shaking, throwing, and dropping his infant daughter, causing her death.
The D.A.’s Office announced that investigative findings showed that the child had suffered abusive head trauma on multiple occasions resulting in her death. The D.A.’s Office said Shockley was the primary caretaker for the child at the time of her death and other causes for the fatal injuries have been ruled out.
“An infant cannot defend herself. A baby can not run away or call for help,” Hogan said in a statement. “A 5-month-old cannot tell people what is happening to her. A baby is the most vulnerable and innocent victim possible. Now it is our job to do what this baby could not, and deliver justice to the killer.”
Coatesville police officers responded to the 500 block of East Harmony Street in Coatesville for a report of a 5-month-old female in cardiac arrest on Feb. 10. Paramedics transported the child victim to Brandywine Hospital, and later A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children, in critical
condition. Despite extensive medical intervention, the baby died on Feb. 12.
While at DuPont, investigators said the child was found to have both chronic and acute intracranial hemorrhages and extensive bilateral retinal hemorrhages throughout all layers of the retina, meaning she was bleeding from the brain and eyes. These injuries are consistent with abusive head trauma; investigators said such trauma was caused by both recent and ongoing abuse. Investigators said in the criminal complaint that Shockley reportedly admitted that he accidently dropped and shook the baby, on multiple occasions, and inflicted the injuries that caused her death.
At the time of her injuries, the child victim was in the exclusive control of the defendant, according to the D.A.’s Office. Shockley resided at 59 Foundry Street in Coatesville and he shared custody of his 5-month-old daughter, Rosalie Faith Crothers-Shockley, with the baby’s mother. He would watch his daughter as the primary caretaker in the 500 block of East Harmony Street, according to police.
When investigators re-interviewed Shockley, they said he reportedly admitted that he had shaken his daughter in frustration sometime after Christmas 2017 because he was playing a video game and lost. The criminal report states that Shockley said he picked up his daughter and shook her for about five minutes, and he demonstrated on a doll what investigators described as a violent back and forth shaking motion. He added that when he put his daughter down she appeared fine. He also reportedly admitted that on Feb. 10 he had been playing “Call of Duty” on his PlayStation 4 and he became upset and frustrated when another player told him “he was a failure at the game,” the criminal report states.
Angered by the comment, Shockley told investigators that he threw his daughter up in the air twice, but did not catch her on the second time and she hit a mattress face first, according to the criminal report. Shockley reportedly admitted that he shook his daughter for about a minute, according to investigators. He walked away for water and when he returned, he realized that his daughter was not breathing, the report states.
Investigators said that the infant died after suffering extensive abuse/ traumatic brain injuries which led to cardiac arrest.
Coatesville police and Chester County Detectives said their investigation revealed that the child’s injuries were consistent with the defendant reportedly dropping and allegedly violently shaking the baby immediately before her death. The older, chronic brain injuries suffered by the child victim are consistent with the child being previously abused by the alleged defendant, according to investigators.
“Officers and detectives with the Coatesville Police Department partnered with prosecutors and detectives from the District Attorney’s Office to make sure that the five-month-old victim in this case had an advocate for her life even after her death,” Coatesville Police Chief Jack Laufer said.
Shockley is not eligible for bail and is currently incarcerated at Chester County Prison, according to his online criminal report. The lawyer listed on his criminal report did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His preliminary hearing is scheduled on Feb. 28 in front of Magisterial District Judge Gregory V. Hines.
“Conducting homicide investigations involving infant children is one of the most demanding cases that officers, detectives, and prosecutors face,” Laufer said. “Once again, Chester County law enforcement has demonstrated the value of a team approach to investigating, solving, and prosecuting difficult criminal cases.”
The D.A.’s Office announced that investigative findings showed that the child had suffered abusive head trauma on multiple occasions resulting in her death and other causes for the fatal injuries have been ruled out.
“Chester County child abuse investigators have become highly skilled at differentiating accidents from intentionally inflicted injuries,” Hogan said. “Using the best medical techniques and employing an interdisciplinary approach, we are able to discover child abuse crimes that in many places would be closed out as accidental or unexplained deaths. That capability is a tremendous resource and a tremendous responsibility.”
Police ask that anyone with information about this case contact investigators Coatesville Detective Jonathan Shave at 610-384-2300 or Chester County Detective Christine Bleiler at 610-3446866. Assistant District Attorney Erin O’Brien is the assigned prosecutor.