A Kentucky man, aged 32, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the fatal assault of his newborn son in 2019. Anthony Trice was handed down the sentence by a Jefferson Circuit Court judge after he was found guilty of killing his son, De’Anthony Trice, in a fit of anger following a video game loss.
Trice was initially charged with domestic violence murder and first-degree child abuse. However, in November, he reached a plea deal with the prosecution. Trice entered an Alford plea to a single count of first-degree manslaughter, maintaining his innocence but acknowledging the state’s sufficient evidence to convict him. Consequently, the remaining charges were dropped.
The incident occurred on the evening of May 3, 2019, at Trice’s residence on West Jefferson Street, according to an arrest report from the Louisville Metro Police Department. Trice was reportedly playing a video game in his bedroom while watching his son. As he began losing the game, he became enraged, throwing the remote control and subsequently punching his one-month-old son in the head.
Following the assault, the infant began crying uncontrollably. Trice attempted to soothe his son, carrying him into the kitchen. However, he reportedly dropped the child on the way. After picking up his son, Trice prepared a bottle for him and returned to the bedroom, where he propped the child up in a seated position.
Trice left the child alone in the bedroom with a blanket propped to hold the bottle in his mouth while he went to the bathroom. Upon his return, he noticed his son was in distress and called 911. Emergency medical personnel arrived at the scene and transported the child to Norton Children’s Hospital.
Trice contacted the child’s maternal grandmother, Tanjia Howlett, before the authorities arrived. Howlett later shared the conversation with the media, recounting that Trice had told her to rush to the hospital as the baby was vomiting milk. The child was admitted to the hospital in serious condition and succumbed to his injuries two days later.