Defense attorneys representing a Rogers man accused of killing an 11-month-old boy do not want their client's statements to police to be used as evidence against him during a jury trial.
Michael Proffitt Jr., 38, is charged with capital murder. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life imprisonment without the benefit of parole or the death penalty.
Rogers police arrested Profftt on June 4 in connection with the boy’s death. Proffitt is accused of killing the infant May 30 while watching the child for his stepson and his stepson’s fiancee, according to court documents.
Tim Buckley, one of Proffitt's attorneys, recently filed a motion to suppress the statements that Proffitt gave to police on three different days. The motion says the statements were not voluntarily given.
Prosecutors have not yet filed a response to Buckley's motion.
Proffitt initially told police the child fell off a bed, according to the probable cause affidavit. He later said the infant fell from his bassinet, and later said he shook the child and hit the child's head on a dresser, according to court documents.
Dr. Frank Peretti with the Arkansas State Crime Lab reported the child suffered a skull fracture on the back of his head, blunt force head injuries and numerous bruises on his face, neck and head, according to court documents. The child was pronounced dead at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, according to court documents.
Proffitt is being held without bond in the Benton County Jail.