A man in Virginia was arrested after he allegedly shook his 5-month-old son to death because “just wanted him to be quiet.”
The Hopewell Police Department announced that Nathan Travis-Nunnally has been charged with felony homicide, child abuse and aggravated malicious wounding following the incident that took place in Hopewell, Virginia.
On June 14, authorities got a call around 10:40 a.m. about an unresponsive child at the Rodeway Inn in Hopewell. The Hopewell Police Department and the Hopewell Fire Department responded to the motel and found a 5-month-old boy unresponsive. First responders cared for the child and brought him to a nearby hospital after he sustained “a life-threatening injury.”
The boy, whose name was Skottie, was first taken to the TriCities Hospital before he was flown to Chippenham Hospital. He was later admitted to the ICU at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. The boy remained in the hospital for five days before he died on June 19 from his injuries.
Authorities added that the boy’s injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome.
After an investigation was launched into the situation, Travis-Nunnall, 22, was arrested and booked into the Riverside Regional Jail.
Four months later, Travis-Nunnally attended his preliminary hearing on Thursday, October 15, where prosecutors played a recorded cell phone conversation in which he admitted to shaking his child, according to WTVR.
“I just wanted him to be quiet,” Travis-Nunnally reportedly said during the phone call with the child’s uncle. “I started screaming at him. I picked him up and then I shook him.”
Travis-Nunnally also allegedly said on the call that he “told him to shut the f*** up” as the child continued to be irritable. He then claimed that the baby suddenly went limp, so he called for help.
The child’s mother was not home at the time of the incident, and she told WTVR she was absent because she was serving a weekend sentence in jail. She added that she was previously engaged to Travis-Nunnally, but they have since broken up.
“I mean, Skottie was my heart, my soul, everything to me,” she told the outlet. “Seeing it all at once and just reliving it in that moment is hard. It’s hard for all of us, all the family.”
It is not currently clear if Travis-Nunnally has entered a plea, and an attorney was not immediately available for contact. The Hopewell Police Department did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding updates in the case.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
