Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more!
Man Dies 20 Years After Being Shaken, Thrown As A Baby And His Father's Being Charged With His Murder
Olin Shane Tannery served 13 years for assaulting his infant son, Dominick Pittsenbarger, leaving him with serious injuries. Now he may be heading back to prison after the 20-year-old Pittsenbarger's death.
A man who was shaken as a baby died 20 years after the fact, and his biologigal father is being charged with his murder.
Olin Shane Tannery, 39, had already served 13 years behind bars for shaking and throwing his infant son, Dominick J. Pittsenbarger, in 1998. He was released from prison in 2007 after being convicted of attempted first-degree assault, the Kansas City Star reports.
Now, he may go back to jail after Pittsenbarger succumbed to the injuries suffered in the very same attack, which occurred in a home in Kearney, Missouri. Pittsenbarger died in April at the age of 20.
At first, doctors thought Pittsenbarger wouldn’t survive the assault, which prosecutors say Tannery committed because he wanted the baby to be quiet. Pittsenbarger suffered multiple rib fractures, a fractured vertebra, subdural bleeding and head wounds, according to the Kansas City Star. The head injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome.
Pittsenbarger suffered severe brain damage from the attack and used a wheelchair throughout his childhood.
After the attack, he was adopted by a man named Wendell Pittsenbarger and later took his last name.His adopted father said he fell in love with basketball.
“I love that boy and still miss him dearly,” Wendell Pittsenbarger told the Kansas City Star. “I think about him all of the time.”
On Tuesday, Tannery was indicted for the attack once again, this time on second-degree murder charges. He has been booked on $500,000 bond, according to online jail records. It’s unclear if he has a lawyer who can speak on his behalf.
[Photo: Clay County Sheriff's Office]
