Opinion ID: 1288891
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Parker Colson

Text: Parker Colson was almost five months old when he was found dead in his crib at the Cutros' home on January 4, 1993. According to his parents, Parker was a healthy baby and had no health problems that morning. His mother dropped him off at the Cutros' daycare at about 7:30 a.m. At 1:57 p.m., emergency personnel received a call to the Cutros' home. When they arrived at 2:11 p.m., Parker was not breathing. He was rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead. Parker's mother testified that appellant told her the following regarding Parker's death: A: She told me that Parker was taking a nap. She went in and checked on him. He was asleep. She went in the kitchen, reached up in the cabinet to get his food down. Josh came in behind her and screamed, Parker's not breathing, call 9-1-1. . . . . Q: After she left the room where Parker was and went into the kitchen, how long a period of time did she indicate it was before Josh entered the room and screamed? A: The way she explained it to me was she checked on Parker, walked in the kitchen, and reached in the cabinet. Josh walked in behind her and screamed, Parker's not breathing, call 9-1-1  however long it takes to get from the living room into the kitchen and reach into a cabinet, a few seconds. And her kitchen was right beside the living room. Q: So according to Gail Cutro, who was the last person who had contact with your son Parker before Josh Cutro found him not breathing? A: Gail. After an autopsy, the coroner's office reported Parker's cause of death as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, which is the diagnosis given when an infant's cause of death cannot be identified. Dr. Daniel, who performed the autopsy, did note the presence of petechial hemorrhages in the cortical section of Parker's brain which she testified was unusual in a SIDS case. In July 1994, Parker's body was exhumed and re-autopsied. Dr. Ophoven, who reviewed the autopsy report, concluded that the presence of the petechial hemorrhages in Parker's brain and a sub-dural hematoma, which had not been discovered in the original autopsy, indicated Parker died a traumatic death caused by shaking and asphyxia. Dr. Gilbert-Barness testified that Parker died of Shaken Baby Syndrome which damaged the medulla causing the heart and respiration to stop. Other medical testimony indicated that Shaken Baby Syndrome can occur with no external sign of trauma. Because a baby's brain is not fully developed, violent shaking damages the vital center of the brain that controls breathing which can cause death by asphyxiation. The presence of petechial hemorrhages indicates asphyxia. Expert testimony further indicated that the symptoms of Shaken Baby Syndrome manifest immediately after the shaking  head injury occurs within seconds and a baby might die immediately.