A ‘tired’ man was sentenced to life after smothering a baby and strangling him to death. Tobin Philips, resident of California and stepfather of Baron Smith, was convicted at Bakersfield, California on August of this year after reportedly killing his 8-month old son.
The suspect has been found guilty of first-degree murder, “with special circumstance of torture”, after murdering his infant son and slamming Baron’s head on a metal futon frame.
Prosecutor Gina Pearl has argued that prior to Philips’ strangulation of the infant, he shook the child so hard that his head swayed back and forth. There was some bleeding found in the victim’s eyes.
The prosecution also mentioned that when Philips snapped at the newborn, he sat on his head with a pillow until the poor newborn became unconscious and “severely twisted” the baby’s left nipple, Crime Online reported.
Photo: The Sun
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Philips was involved in a similar incident in Whitman Country, November 2016, when he was accused of abusing his 3-week-old baby after she hit her head, as per court documents.
His fiance has since split up with him, and he fled to Tehachapi and started anew with a new girlfriend and two children.
On the 1st of January, 2017, Philips “lost it” and killed his son Baron after the latter apparently cried for days on end. When Kern County Sheriff authorities had arrived at his home at Cherry Lane, the suspect had already fled, but returned and turned himself in.
Mark Aguilar, one of the murderer’s public defenders, said that the latter tried to revive the infant, according to The Sun.
This has done no good for the case, however, as Judge John W.. Lua has sentenced Philips to life in prison without the possibility of parole, labelling the act a “senseless crime”.
Photo: The Sun
J.W. Lua stated that even in the absence of special circumstances in the case, he still would’ve have given Philips the same sentence.
On the matter, District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer commented, “First-Degree murder with special circumstances carries the highest penalty recognized under the law, and the fact that this case involved the most innocent of all victims is a reminder of why that is the case.
Kern County should take pride that its prosecutors’ dedication to the pursuit of justice despite these uncertain times is second to none.
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