FAR ROCKAWAY MAN CONVICTED OF SHAKING INFANT DAUGHTER TO DEATH

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today the conviction of a 29 year old Far Rockaway man on charges of violently shaking his six week old baby to death.

District Attorney Brown said that Matthew Leggard, 29, of 2047 Seagirt Boulevard, Far Rockaway was convicted by a Queens jury of reckless manslaughter in connection with the death of his baby daughter, Chyann. The three week jury trial was held before Supreme Court Justice Richard L. Buchter who will impose sentence on December 11, 2000. The defendant faces a maximum term of up to 15 years at that time.

District Attorney Brown said, "In convicting the defendant the jury has concluded that he recklessly caused the death of his infant daughter by shaking her violently, forcefully and repeatedly. Chyann's tragic death clearly illustrates the devastating consequences of shaking an infant and should serve as an important reminder to all of us of the irreversible damage that can be done by shaking a child".

According to the trial testimony, the crime occurred on October 5, 1999, the first day that the defendant's wife had gone back to work after maternity leave, leaving the baby in her husband's care. The defendant, who testified at trial, stated that at about 4pm he found the baby gasping for air and called the baby's mother and EMS. At that point he said he began CPR on the child. However, EMS personnel and physicians testified that the child was admitted to the hospital with bilateral retinal hemorrhages and swelling of the brain which all proved fatal and are the classic symptoms of shaken baby syndrome. In addition, EMS found Chyann with finger marks across her chest, where she had been grabbed. It was testified that the fatal injuries occurred shortly before the baby's admission while her mother was at work and the defendant was taking care of her.

Assistant District Attorneys Marjory D. Fisher, Chief of District Attorney Brown's Special Victims Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Erin Apfel of the same bureau prosecuted the case.