Marion father charged with killing infant after dropping, slamming on floor

MARION — A man was charged Tuesday with murder after he admitted to dropping his 19-day-old son on the floor, throwing him into a crib and slamming his head onto the floor because the child wouldn’t stop crying.

Samuel Goodwin, 22, told Marion police he was the sole caretaker of his son during the overnight hours of April 3 through 4 of last year when the baby wouldn’t stop crying and wouldn’t take a bottle. He couldn’t wake up the baby’s mother and became “flustered and irritated.”

Goodwin first told police he dropped the infant at least two times, according to the criminal complaint. He then admitted to throwing his son into a crib, causing his head to hit the side of the crib and then the floor. Goodwin slammed the baby’s head twice into the floor.

The father put the baby in a bouncer, covered him, went downstairs and “hoped for the best,” the complaint states.

Goodwin told police he knew he was responsible for the infant’s death.

Police said attempts to save the baby were unsuccessful. Officers and medical personnel responded about 9:40 a.m. April 4 at 430 Ninth St. in Marion for a report that an infant was not responsive and not breathing.

An autopsy conducted by the state medical examiner stated the infant died from multiple head injuries and the death was determined to be a homicide, according to the complaint.

During an initial appearance Tuesday in Linn County Court, Goodwin was charged with first-degree murder, child endangerment resulting in death and a separate charge of possession of drug paraphernalia from Monday when he was arrested. He is accused of being in possession of glass pipes used to smoke methamphetamine at the same residence where the infant died.

According to the complaint, Goodwin lives in Cedar Rapids. At the time of the infant’s death, he lived at the Marion address, police said.

A judge set his bail at $1 million cash-only. He remains in the Linn County Jail.

If convicted of first-degree murder, he faces life in prison without parole. Child endangerment that results in death is a Class B felony punishable by no more than 50 years in prison.

The Marion Police Department, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner and the Linn County Attorney’s Office worked together on the investigation.

Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com