Kimberly’s Crime Beat: Abusing the Incapable

To see someone who is so young to have injuries a grown adult could have in a fight is unbearable to even think of. Someone so small and precious lying with tubs in their nose, bruises on their bodies, and yet they’re too small to see if any damages have really been done for their future health. In these two cases we see parents abusing their 1-2 month old babies just because they are frustrated.

Heather Shrum, 20, caused two skull fractures to her 5-week-old baby because she was frustrated with the child. Shrum hit the child in the face previously in August, but then threw the baby down on the floor in September causing the child to be in critical condition. Heather told everyone that the child had initially fallen off of the couch, but then confessed what really happened. Shrum’s bond was set at $1 million dollars but then reduced to 250,000 after her arraignment. Shrum was accused of aggravated battery of a child. If Shrum posts bail she will have no contact with her child or any other minors, as well as being on house arrest, except for work.

Anthony Wilkins, 19 caused his two-month-old baby to have five fractured ribs, which caused damages to the esophagus and liver. The mom noticed that the infant was having trouble breathing after she picked the child up from the father’s house. The injuries that were inflicted upon the infant are signs of squeezing too tightly or hits on the back. Wilkins was frustrated with the child; because it wouldn’t stop crying and the mother was suppose to pick the child up. Wilkins was charged with aggravated battery of a child, with a bond of $250,000 dollars. The baby make a full recovery.

Cindy Russell, a close family friend of Heather Shrum said, “I feel it is unacceptable. We all have other choices that can be made if we are struggling. We have to own up to the fact we made a choice to have a child and our lives are forever changed. We are not just living our lives but molding and nurturing another life. People need to stop being selfish and think. It seems people now days have no disregard for human life.”

If both defendants are found guilty they could possibly have 6 to 30 years as a minimum. Depending on what the jury and the judge decide depends on their sentencing. This is a class X felony which means that no matter what their sentence is they will not receive the privilege of probation. The only way to get probation is if the judge decided to lower the class of the felony that the defendants are being charged with. The prosecutor as well has power over this decision. Even for first time offenders the class will not be lowered.

If a crime is aggravated, which means “any circumstances of the crime that increases its seriousness of its injuries”. This makes the crime worse than the crime itself sometimes, but also causes a higher sentencing. Since both defendants were accused of an aggravated crime most likely their sentencing will be higher, but with courts you never know what could possibly come out of the sentencing.

To have a child and be unprepared is setting your child up to fail from the beginning. If you are old enough to have sex, then you need to prepare for things that come out of it. You are bringing another precious life into the world and to not give it the world, is a crime. When you get frustrated and are unable to handle things, then as an adult, you get to explore other options. Laying a hand on a child of any age, which is not with love and care, you don’t deserve to lay a hand on any human.