Bristol dad accused of beating infant son to death will stand trial
A Bristol Borough father is headed to trial for allegedly beating his 4-month-old son to death, a crime that plunged the tight-knit borough community in mourning.
In a brief district court appearance Wednesday, Tyler Sullivan, 30, waived his right to a preliminary hearing on charges including homicide, aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child. He remains incarcerated in Bucks County jail without bail.
Bristol police allege Sullivan violently shook the infant twice on May 24, and it was not the first time he allegedly “battered” the baby. He allegedly admitted to police he shook his son six other times over the previous six weeks, the documents allege.
Police allege infant shaken to death Bristol father charged in death of baby son. What he told police
The infant, Timmy Sullivan, identified in court records as TS, was pronounced dead just after midnight May 25 at Lower Bucks Hospital. Emergency medical personnel brought the baby to the hospital.
Police responded to the Radcliffe Street apartment Sullivan and his girlfriend shared for a report of a child in cardiac arrest. The infant was not breathing when police arrived and he was cold to the touch, according to charging documents.
The doctor who examined the baby at the hospital found he was blue and had bruises on his forehead and "battle-sign bruising" which appears as a large bruise that extends across the entire backside of the ear. He also had bruising on the neck, right thigh and lower eye, and a cut on the right side of his nose, authorities said.
.
The doctor said in his experience the baby's condition was "indicative of a battered child."
Sullivan told police he had violently shaken Timothy twice, once the morning of May 24 and again that night after giving him a bath, according to court documents.
He claimed the bruising appeared when he previously bumped the baby's head on the rocking chair and bumped his head on the bathtub May 24 while bathing the child, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
The boy's mother was not charged, but told police that while her son was in the sole custody of Sullivan she noticed bruising on the child's body that was inconsistent with the defendant's explanations.
The murder of Baby Timmy sent shockwaves through the riverfront community. Roughly 50 people including local first responders attended a candlelight vigil for the child days after his death. A Go-Fund-Me campaign started to financially assist the baby’s 22-year-old mother raised nearly $11,000.
Death of Baby T.S. rallies Bristol This Bristol mom didn't know family of slain Baby TS. But she rallied town to support them
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bristol dad to stand trial in fatal child beating
