Abstract
Battered baby (child) syndrome has been recognized for nearly half a century and is defined as repeated non-accidental trauma of various ages. In medicolegal death investigations, it is often avoided, due to its alleged controversy, or more accurately, due to the challenges it presents in court. In this chapter, we discuss some of the medicolegal issues of a battered baby syndrome diagnosis for the cause of death and the legal issues surrounding the prosecution and defense in these types of cases. A case example involving a 5-month-old infant is presented. Additionally, the importance and challenges in timing fractures and using skeletal trauma as evidence of abuse are discussed. Finally, this case is contextualized among infant and child homicides and recommendations for best practices are outlined.
Children begin by loving their parents. After a time they judge them. Rarely, if ever, do they forgive them. Oscar Wilde
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank our colleagues at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Tampa Police Department, and the Temple Terrace Police Department who have been working with us on researching homicide patterns for the Tampa Bay area. In particular we thank Major Harold Winsett, Captain Alan Hill, Sgt. Frank Losat, Det. Herb Saumell, Det. Chuck Massucci, and Det. Eric Houston for their assistance in collecting data and preparing this manuscript. We also thank Chris Moody and Gregory Hill, the prosecution and defense attorneys, respectively.
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Kimmerle, E.H., Chrostowski, L. (2011). Medicolegal Issues of Battered Baby Syndrome. In: Ross, A., Abel, S. (eds) The Juvenile Skeleton in Forensic Abuse Investigations. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-255-7_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-255-7_8
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