A 32-year-old father from Kentucky will spend decades in prison for killing his newborn son by punching him in the head in a fit of rage after losing a video game.
A Jefferson Circuit Court judge sentenced Anthony Trice to 20 years in a state prison on Thursday for the brutal 2019 murder of young De’Anthony Trice.
Trice, who was initially charged with domestic violence murder and first-degree child abuse, reached an agreement with prosecutors in November to enter an Alford plea to first-degree manslaughter. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dropped the remaining charges.
An Alford plea occurs when a defendant maintains their innocence while acknowledging that the state has sufficient evidence to convict them at trial.
According to an arrest report obtained by Louisville Fox affiliate WDRB, the incident occurred on the evening of May 3, 2019, while Trice was watching the boy at his home in the 1100 block of West Jefferson Street.
He was reportedly in his bedroom at the time, playing a video game. Trice reportedly began losing the game and became enraged, throwing the remote control. Still enraged, Trice allegedly punched his 1-month-old son in the head with a closed fist.
After being struck, the boy reportedly started crying hysterically. Trice then picked up the boy, attempting to console him before carrying him into the kitchen.
However, on the way to the kitchen, Trice allegedly dropped the victim to the ground. He then picked up his son, got him a bottle, and returned him to his bedroom, where he “propped him up in a seated position,” authorities said.
Trice went to the bathroom after piling a blanket in front of the boy to hold the bottle in his mouth.
Trice stated that when he returned from the bathroom, he realized his son was “in distress” and called 911.
The Courier-Journal reported that emergency medical personnel responded to the home and transported the child to Norton Children’s Hospital.
Trice called the child’s maternal grandmother shortly after the violent incident, but before authorities arrived. She later described the conversation to WLKY.
“He said, ‘Get to the hospital. “The baby was throwing up milk,” the grandmother, Tanjia Howlett, reportedly stated. “So, I told my daughter, ‘Why would he take the baby to the hospital for choking on baby milk?'”
De’Anthony was initially admitted to the hospital in “serious” condition, but the boy died from his injuries two days later.
