A killer dad has been jailed for punching his infant son to death after losing a video game – then propping up the dying child in a seated position.
A judge sentenced Anthony Trice, from Louisville, Kentucky, to 20 years in a state correctional facility for the brutal murder of his young son, De’Anthony Trice, in 2019.
The father pled guilty after police discovered that he struck his infant son in the head after becoming enraged at losing a video game. After the assault, Trice picked up the baby to make a bottle in the kitchen but dropped him, he confessed to detectives. Court documents say he later “propped him up in a seated position.”
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Initially charged with domestic violence murder and first-degree child abuse, Trice struck a deal with prosecutors in November, submitting an Alford plea to a reduced charge of first-degree manslaughter, which led to the dismissal of the other charges.
Trice was taking care of his son alone on Friday, May 3, 2019, in their home when frustration over a video game caused him to throw his controller and then hit his son with his fist, inflicting serious injuries, authorities stated.
Realizing the baby was “in distress,” Trice called emergency services, police noted. The infant was rushed to Norton Children’s Hospital in a grave condition and succumbed to his injuries.
Trice was jailed for 20 years after a plea deal (
Louisville Metro Department of Corrections)
The plea allows the defendant to maintain innocence while acknowledging that the prosecution’s evidence could likely result in a conviction if the case is brought to trial.
A GoFundMe page set up by the toddler’s grandmother revealed the infant’s name, De’Anthony Trice. It explained that the family was caught off guard by the sudden loss, urgently requiring assistance with funeral expenses.
A poignant image on the fundraiser shows De’Anthony connected to multiple breathing tubes while hospitalized.
As the family grapples with this personal tragedy, child safety advocates unveiled a new educational video on Monday in a strange twist of fate.
The initiative, launched by Prevent Child Abuse of Kentucky, aims to prevent incidents like De’Anthony’s.
Set to be shared across every birthing center in Kentucky, it’s estimated to reach over 50,000 new parents annually at more than 100 hospitals. Focusing on safe sleep and preventing pediatric head trauma, the video presents crucial information to caregivers.
“I think it’s a much bigger problem than you might realize,” Dr. Kelly Duak from Norton Children’s Child Abuse Task Force expressed in the video. She cites alarming statistics: “I saw a statistic that an infant in the state of Kentucky is 70 times more likely to die from an abusive head trauma than they are from a motor vehicle accident.”
The campaign also features a deeply moving account of a mother whose son endured abusive head trauma by a caregiver during infancy.
“We want to make sure that we understand that in a blink of an eye, we have the opportunity to impact a child’s life, and with prevention and awareness, we can stop tragedies from happening,” emphasized Jill Seyfried from Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky.
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