(Michigan City, IN) - A 40-year prison sentence was given today to a Michigan City man for the shaking death of his infant son. Brandon Bottom, 25, was sentenced on level 1 felony aggravated battery, causing death, by La Porte Superior Court 1 Judge Michael Bergerson.
According to prosecutors, evidence from the autopsy and witness statements show the baby died of brain trauma from being shaken at the family’s home at Woodland Crossing Apartments. The baby was also found with rib fractures in various stages of healing, prosecutors said.
According to authorities, the baby’s 10-year old brother left for school but soon returned to retrieve some homework he forgot to take with him. That’s when he saw Bottom shaking the infant. Bottom, alarmed by the baby’s condition, tried contacting his girlfriend at work but left her a voice message. After she later heard the message, returned home, and, in a state of panic, the woman took her son to the hospital.
Bottom also received a 20-year sentence for trying to arrange to have his girlfriend and her 10-year old son killed. That sentence was ordered served consecutively, which means a prison sentence totaling 60-years.
