People v. Christopher Braddy

 

THE MACON TELEGRAPH

JURY CLEARS FATHER OF ABUSING SON

WARNER ROBINS MAN ACCUSED OF SHAKING INFANT IS INNOCENT ON CHARGES OF BATTERY, CRUELTY.

Saturday, December 11, 1999
Section: B
Edition: HOME
Page: 1
By Linda S. Morris

The Macon Telegraph

A jury took less than an hour to decide Friday that Christopher Braddy did not hurt his infant son.

Braddy, 23, of Warner Robins, was on trial on two counts each of cruelty to a child and aggravated battery. He was accused in May of injuring his 10-week-old son by shaking him. He faced a maximum sentence of 20 years each on each count.

The innocent verdict came after a weeklong trial involving testimony from many medical experts.

"My sense is (the jury) didn't have any doubt at all," said Michael Moore, Braddy's attorney. "No one could tell what happened to (the infant), or that (Braddy) could have done it. He is a loving, caring father."

Braddy's wife, Tonya, believed he was innocent from the beginning, Moore said.

"She has never, ever thought he did this," Moore said.

Medical evidence presented during the trial showed that the infant had bleeding on the brain and behind the eyes. But Moore said doctors don't know what caused the child's medical condition.

"We had a child that had something going on in his head that no one understands," Moore said. "There are some cases I won't take, but I believed in (Braddy) all along."

Assistant district attorney Katie Kelley responded through her secretary that she had no comment except to say that "the jury (has) made its decision."

The baby had been fussy May 16. After he became sick during church services, his parents took him to the Houston Medical Center emergency room in Warner Robins. Doctors told them the infant probably had a stomach virus and sent them home.

Later that night, the baby stopped breathing. While waiting for an ambulance, Braddy gave the infant coronary-pulmonary resuscitation, Moore said during opening statements. After the child was stabilized at the hospital in Warner Robins, he was transferred to The Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, where doctors feared the child had been abused.

"No one wants to see a child get hurt," Moore said. "But I think there is some overzealousness. It comes down to a defendant coming in to prove himself innocent."

To contact Linda S. Morris, call 953-6626 or e-mail lmorris@macontel.com.

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