Butler father charged with homicide in death of 2-month-old son
A Butler County father has been charged with homicide connected to the death of his 2-month-old son, Pennsylvania State Police say.
Butler County 911 received a report around 2:41 p.m. on Nov. 8 of a 2-month-old not breathing in a home along Spooner Drive in Butler Township. Butler Township police and EMS personnel were dispatched to the scene and found the infant had sustained bruising on his head and torso, according to a public information report.
The infant was transported to Butler Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
State police subsequently interviewed the father, Vincent Miceli, and the boy's mother. Autopsy results released on Sunday determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head.
An investigation later determined the boy was under the sole supervision of Miceli on Nov. 8.
Miceli reportedly said that he went to the kitchen to get a bottle for the infant, and when he returned, the bruise on his son's head was larger, and the 2-month-old was shaking. He didn't call 911; he called the baby's mother, who called the police.
Miceli then took a shower, allegedly when he noticed officers outside his home.
He allegedly told investigators the mark on the baby's stomach came from them playing, but he didn't know where the bruising on the baby's head came from.
Court documents describe Miceli to be nonchalant and unbothered when his son was in dire need of medical attention.
"I never would have thought in a million years their baby was in danger, especially so close, two doors down," neighbor and mother Wendy Fischer said. "I felt really scared, shaken, sick, heartbroken, and in shock," Fischer added.
Miceli has been charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of children. He was taken into custody and transported to the Butler County Prison.