Army mechanic indicted for second-degree murder of his newborn
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A late newborn’s father who is an active-duty U.S. Army member was indicted last week on murder charges related to the child’s death, according to the Department of Law.
Antonius Meyers, 24, faces two counts of second-degree murder, one count of manslaughter, and multiple counts of assault, according to the Department of Law.
On April 3, Antonious allegedly caused “non accidental trauma injuries, consistent with a baby being shaken” that his son Jackson Meyers would not recover from, according to court documents.
Jackson Meyers was born on March 6, 2024.
These documents paint a disturbing picture of Jackson Meyers’ condition when he was cared for by doctors in JBER’s emergency room and later at Providence Hospital in Anchorage.
In addition to brain and chest injuries, the infant had to be placed in a medically induced coma due to continuous seizures. The baby remained on life support for an unknown amount of time before ultimately dying.
Police questioned Meyers and his wife about the morning of the shaking. Jazmine Meyers said that she was unaware of any previous bruises caused by her husband, but that he sometimes would “roughly swaddle” their son.
Meyers later told investigators that “the brain injury is most likely from me” and “when I was shaking him, I don’t remember exactly how hard I shook him, but like rocked him, but when I did after that, he just wasn’t the same.”
Charging documents also stated that on April 14, Meyers had tried to buy a handgun four times.
Meyers is in the custody of the Department of Corrections with a $25,000 cash performance bond. If convicted, he could be sentenced for up to 99 years behind bars.
According to an 11th Airborne Division spokesperson, Meyers enlisted in the military in 2021. He has been stationed in Alaska for most of that time, serving as a wheeled vehicle mechanic. He was on a three-month paternity leave at the time of the early April incident.
Jazmine and Antonius were married about a year ago, according to court documents.
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