WM pair charged in ‘shaken baby’ case

WM pair charged in ‘shaken baby’ case

17- year- olds charged as adults in incident

ralphhardin@gmail.com Two West Memphis men are in custody following an injury to a 3-month-old infant. The arrests were made in relation to an incident that happened while a three month old infant was in the care of Frederick Henderson, 17, and the child’s father, Malik Williams, 17, on Saturday March 18.

“Police were called to the residence of Williams on the 500 block of North 16th Street by West Memphis Fire Department paramedics in response to a child with suspicious injuries,” said WMPD Enforcement/Criminal Investigation Division Commander Capt. Joe Baker. “Upon arriving on the scene officers spoke with Williams and Henderson and noticed that the story they told about what happened to the child did not seem to match the injuries the child displayed.”

After receiving medical information from Lebonheur, detectives were able to confirm that the extensive internal head injuries to the child were not consistent with minor trauma rather more in line with a “shaken baby” injury.

“After receiving this information warrants were obtained on both Williams and Henderson,” said Baker. “At this time the child is on life support at Lebonheur and is unable to breath on his own. It is unknown at this time if the child will recover from this incident.”

Williams was arrested shortly after the warrants were issued. Henderson was later turned himself in to the police. Both are charged with Battery in the First Degree of a Child under the Age of Four.

The pair were expected to be arraigned in West Memphis District Court this morning.

Although both Henderson and Williams are 17 years they are being charged as adults in the case.

By Ralph Hardin