FORT SMITH -- A man was sentenced to 30 years in prison Thursday for causing the death of his 2-year-old son by slapping him to stop the child from crying and screaming.
Terrell Carl Powell, 33, pleaded guilty in Sebastian County Circuit Court to second-degree murder and admitted that he slapped his son twice in the face and head with the back of his hand Sept. 23 so he could go to sleep.
Powell was charged initially with first-degree murder, but the charge was amended Wednesday, according to court records.
A police probable cause affidavit said Powell put his son in his crib about 3 a.m. Sept. 23 and then took a shower and got into bed about 4 a.m.
The boy began crying and screaming, which kept Powell from going to sleep. He yelled at the boy to stop crying but the child continued to cry and scream, the affidavit said.
Powell got up and picked up the toddler in an effort to comfort the child and stop him from crying. The boy continued to cry, and Powell became angry and slapped him on the head and face. The affidavit said the boy eventually calmed down and Powell put him back in the crib.
A short time later, Powell heard the boy having trouble breathing, the affidavit said. He picked up the boy, who was limp in his arms and continued to have labored breathing for another hour.
Powell said he carried the boy, bounced him, patted the child on his back, rear and head, shook him in an attempt to wake the child, put water in the baby's mouth and tried to breathe into his mouth, but the child remained unresponsive, according to the affidavit.
When Powell's wife returned home from work about 6 a.m., she noticed something wrong with the boy and called 911, the affidavit said.
The murder charge against Powell was among four recent cases in Fort Smith and Van Buren in which adults were charged with causing the deaths of young children, according to court records.
Most recently, 36-year-old Kinyata Nichols pleaded innocent Aug. 15 in Sebastian County Circuit Court to first-degree murder in the Dec. 11 death of her 10-month-old son. An autopsy showed the infant's death was caused by brain injuries from shaking. Doctors who examined the baby reported severe weight loss, dehydration, the presence of methamphetamine in his system, retinal bleeding and healing rib fractures, police reports said.
Tyler Buchanan, 20, of Van Buren was charged with capital murder in Crawford County Circuit Court last month in the death of his 2-month-old daughter. Buchanan was accused of smothering the girl and then trying to revive her by shocking her with an extension cord.
Tyree Williams, 26, awaits trial in Sebastian County Circuit Court on a first-degree murder charge in the Jan. 30 death of his girlfriend's 18-month-old daughter. Police reports said Williams admitted to causing her death by punching her in the stomach multiple times while she was in his care.
Williams' trial is scheduled for October, but his attorney has asked for a delay until next year.
Sierra Johnson, 21, was sentenced to 10 years in prison May 9 after pleading guilty to permitting abuse of a minor after leaving the baby in Williams' care while she worked as a prostitute, knowing he was a violent marijuana dealer who had a gun in his possession and who had abused the infant previously. She also pleaded guilty to drug charges.
State Desk on 08/24/2018