A 28-year-old man will spend at least two decades in prison for killing his newborn baby.
On April 3, 2020, police in the city of Reno, Nevada received a call about a two-week-old boy who was having difficulty breathing.
When transported to the hospital, the baby suffered from multiple brain and retinal hemorrhages.
The baby died from his injuries four days later, on April 7.
The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday, Oct. 9, that Craig Melzo, the child’s father, was sentenced to 50 years in prison, with no possibility of parole for 20 years.
He was convicted of first-degree murder.
Medical authorities determined that the baby’s head trauma was the result of child abuse, leading police to believe that Mr. Melzo was responsible for his son’s death.
Prosecutors called in medical experts who said the baby’s “internal damage was among the worst they had ever seen in their careers.”