Stepfather accused of throwing crying baby, fatally fracturing his skull
JANE LEW, W.Va. (WDTV/Gray News) - A West Virginia stepfather is facing charges after he allegedly confessed to throwing a crying 1-year-old boy out of frustration, causing a fatal skull fracture.
Zachary Williams, 27, is charged with first-degree murder and child abuse causing death after police say he threw a 1-year-old baby, leading to the child’s death, WDTV reports.
Emergency personnel responded last Sunday to a home in Jane Lew for a report of a baby that had stopped breathing. EMS attempted to perform R on the child before transporting him to the hospital, where he was officially pronounced dead one hour later.
Police spoke with the grandparents, who both lived in the home with the child. They told police the baby had been completely fine that morning, other than suffering from a cold on and off.
Police were told that the baby had been crawling on the kitchen floor that morning and bumped his head, leaving a “little red mark.” Medical examiners would confirm there was a bruise above the baby’s left eye but did not initially notice any other physical defects or anything suspicious on the baby.
Authorities asked the grandparents about substance or alcohol use by anyone in the home. According to the criminal complaint, the mother of the child would smoke Delta 8 (a type of cannabinoid similar to marijuana), but she would only ever smoke it outside of the house.
The grandparents told police they did not suspect any neglect from either parent.
At the hospital, the medical examiner and officers questioned the parents on the sequence of events that morning. The mother said that the baby had been extra fussy due to being sick. She fed the baby breakfast, the grandparents left around 8 a.m. and then, she decided to put the child down for a nap.
Police say they were told the baby refused to go down for a nap and was fighting sleep more than usual. The mother then woke up Williams to help her, according to the criminal complaint. Williams carried the baby into his bedroom, and after a short time, Williams began to yell for the mother.
Court documents say that when the mother got into the room, the baby was limp, prompting her to call 911 and attempt R on the child.
Williams told police that he went to the bedroom and began bouncing the baby in an attempt to soothe him. According to the criminal complaint, Williams said that while bouncing the baby, he went “rigid and limp” and became unresponsive.
Two days later, during the baby’s autopsy, it was discovered that the child sustained a severe skull fracture on the rear of his head. The doctor that performed the autopsy stated that this type of skull fracture is caused by trauma.
Officers questioned both parents again after the autopsy was completed.
According to court documents, Williams confessed to throwing the baby out of frustration, causing the child to hit his head on a bed frame and the floor. Police say Williams also stated that “it was all his fault.”
Williams is being held at Central Regional Jail without bond.
Copyright 2025 WDTV via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
