Roy man convicted of punching, killing 1-month-old baby

 

The brutality of this case has shocked many neighbors many of whom have children themselves. According to court documents, Graves told police he did this because he got angry the baby was crying.

 

Police were called to these apartments back on September 7 for a report of an infant not breathing. First responders managed to revive the child, but court documents show doctors noticed serious injuries including “huge fractures on the right side of the head, massive brain swelling and hemorrhage,…. separation of the vertebra in the neck.”

 

Police interviewed Matthew Graves, 22, who according to court documents admitted to punching the child in the head but “could not remember how many times he hit the infant as he blacked out from rage.”

 

This might not have been the first instance of violence. Court documents also shows an interview with a 5-year-old sibling where they “described seeing multiple instances where Matthew would spank the infant and also described instances of domestic violence in the home.”

 

The death of this child has shocked many who live in these apartments, and worries many parents because the kids who live here are so close.

 

“Every kind of party that happens back here all the kids just mingle together. They’re all invited. So it’s just a tragic story,” said Victor Lopez, neighbor. 

 

Police say there are always resources in the community for parents who are having a tough time with their kids.

 

“They just need a break from a child or whatever it might be there are resources out there you can contact. Get that break so it doesn’t come to a point like this where you’re abusing your child or we get to the point where we’re doing a homicide investigation,” said Det. Josh Taylor with Roy City Police Department. 

 

These are extremely hard cases even for detectives because of the age of the victim and Roy police and fire say they do have services for first responders who may need to talk with somebody.