Man pleads to lesser charge in baby's beating
A Wichita Falls man accused of severely beating his 2-month-old baby pleaded guilty to a lesser charge Friday in a plea bargain, court records show.
Rakim Dewayn Gene Smith, 24, was convicted Friday of a second-degree felony, injury to a child, for inflicting blunt trauma on the infant on Nov. 25, 2019, court records show.
Medical providers found a host of injuries, including a broken leg, 13 rib fractures in various stages of healing and traumatic brain injury, court filings show. The child's mother could not explain how his leg was broken.
Smith told police he punched the baby's ribs repeatedly because he wouldn't stop crying, according to court documents.
Seventy-eighth District Judge Meredith Kennedy sentenced Smith to 10 years in prison Friday, according to court documents. Smith is receiving 232 days of credit for jail time served. The judge ordered Smith to pay $410 in court costs.
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The charge Smith was convicted of is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Smith was originally indicted on a first-degree felony charge of injury to a child, which carries a maximum punishment of life in prison.
Smith has waived his rights to appeal and seek his case to be reheard.
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Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news and more. Contact her with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Wichita Falls man pleads to lesser charge for baby's beating
