Marine Arrested in Newborn Son's Death

[The Straight Story]

Marine Arrested in Newborn Son's Death

By GARANCE BURKE
Associated Press Writer

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- A young Marine who was called back from a mission to Iraq to be with his ailing wife just before she died of childbirth complications was arrested on suspicion of murdering his newborn son.

Authorities did not disclose a motive for the slaying, but the Marine, 20-year-old Robert Quiroz, told a TV station in September that he felt overwhelmed as a single parent of two and struggled to accept his son.

"I didn't know how to feel about him. The same day he was born, my wife died," he told KMPH in Fresno. "The feelings inside of me, I kind of wanted to push him away, but he's my son. My wife gave him to me."

Quiroz was jailed on Monday. Investigators said his son died of beating injuries, but they would not elaborate. Authorities planned to file charges Wednesday.

After the infant's death on Saturday, authorities took Quiroz's 18-month-old daughter into protective custody.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MARINES_BABY_KILLED?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME

[jannyk]

1. That is so sad on so many levels nt

[DemBones DemBones]

2. You said it. He needed somebody to help him

with those children until he got over the shock of his wife's death and could think clearly. The Red Cross has volunteers who take calls for military families and arrange to have the service member sent home. It's too bad they didn't get a volunteer to help him for a while. A grief counselor should have been assigned, too, from the hospital, you'd think. A family fell through the safety net.

Edit: I read the whole article and he was living with his sister-in-law and her boyfriend and they were helping care for the child.

The baby had previously been treated for a broken arm. When the baby showed up with a broken arm, whoever treated him should have questioned the father more. They might not have known the man's wife had died after having the baby and that he'd said in a TV interview that he "felt like pushing him away."

Very, very sad.

[Pachamama]

3. I feel sick....

:cry:

How, how can this shit happen? How can a little baby like that die so violently at the hands of his father?

This is just so wrong....on so many levels....How does this get prevented?