Kentucky Father Charged With Assault After Fracturing Skull Of Infant Son

Justin Owens, the 23-year-old Kentucky father charged with assault in the first degree, is being held on $25,000 bond after admitting to abusing his one month old son early Saturday morning. Owens inflicted injuries on the baby that resulted in brain damage and a fractured skull, according to police reports. The new dad said he had lost his temper and struck the infant in the head then placed his hand over the boy’s face to keep him from crying.

“He was super excited to be a new dad. [He] talked about it all the time,” neighbor Michael Monosmith said. WDBR.com reported that neighbors describe the baby as a “good-looking little boy. [He’s] the perfect height and the perfect weight for an infant.”

Justin Owens in the Hardin Co. Jail after police say he admitted to abusing his infant son in this home. @WHAS11 pic.twitter.com/aES74JhDeG

— Sara Wagner (@WHAS11Sara) May 21, 2016

During the police interview, Owens “initially reported that he’d gotten up from his bed to feed his month old infant son and that he’d tripped while carrying him to the bathroom and that [the baby] slipped from his arms, his head striking the door.” The police report states that Owens eventually confessed that he’d lost his temper and deliberately hit his son in his head. Watch the brief news report about the tragedy in the clip below.

Neighbor Carole Monasmith said she would often see Owens playing outside with the three other children who lived in the house with him and his girlfriend.

“He would play with them in the yard. He seemed good. I know they weren’t his, the other kids, but he seemed to treat them like they were his,” Monasmith said. “I heard him holler at a kid once or twice, but no more than the ‘get in the house, it’s dinner time’ or ‘don’t bother your sister’ you know basic parent stuff.”

Carole said Owens brought his infant son over to her house about a week ago, and that the new father “seemed very proud of him, and he held his bottle and seemed to know what he was doing with him and seemed like he was going to be a good dad,” she said.

Owens and his girlfriend had moved into the neighborhood a few months ago, and Carole believes there were no signs that could’ve warned that such a violent act would occur.

“I wish he would’ve brought him to me instead of letting it become a tragedy,” Monasmith said. “I just wish people would reach out. You know, there’s support there. We all have times when we feel like we can’t handle things and maybe a new parent, it’s overwhelming or what not. Find your support, have your support in place. Reach out, that’s what I hope everybody will do.”

In a separate incident that occurred earlier this year, a Virginia father was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his 7-week-old daughter. Check out the video report about it below.

Justin’s son remains at Kosair Children’s Hospital where he’s still receiving care. His head trauma includes brain swelling, bleeding, and a fractured skull, WHAS11.com reports. Owens has been charged with assault and domestic violence. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

“I hope everybody is praying real hard for this little guy that his injuries are something that’s not causing long-lasting problems. That he pulls through and does okay,” Carole told reporters.

Fathers charged with the deaths of their children have been making headlines across the nation lately. Another recent tragic story comes out of Mississippi, where a young father has been charged with second-degree murder after leaving his baby daughter in an overheated car where she died.

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