02/06/2007

Father is charged after baby dies

By VICTOR SKINNER

vskinner@record-eagle.com

KINGSLEY — A Kingsley man faces a murder charge after he allegedly shook his 2-month-old son hard enough that the infant died days later.

Anthony Curtis Bishop, 21, was arraigned Monday on a charge of homicide-felony murder after he allegedly admitted to Grand Traverse Sheriff's detectives that he became frustrated with his son and shook the child violently Friday afternoon, Grand Traverse County Sheriff Scott Fewins said.

Bishop faces life in prison without the chance of parole if convicted. He was in the county jail on $500,000 cash or surety bond Monday. Emergency personnel took the child to Munson Medical Center where he was stabilized before being flown to DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids. The infant, Cole Curtis Bishop, died in Grand Rapids Sunday morning.

"There are certain signs that occur after a violent shaking and they started to become more noticeable and then confirmed with testing at DeVos,” Fewins said. "Our two detectives took (Bishop) off to the side ... where the father admitted that he got frustrated and shook the child violently. He realized almost right away that something went wrong.”

Doctors with DeVos Children's Hospital said a single violent event caused severe injuries to Cole Bishop's brain, including subdural hematoma or bleeding near the brain, court records indicate.

Sheriff's detectives arrested Bishop in Grand Rapids for first-degree child abuse and drove him to Grand Traverse County jail Saturday night, Fewins said. He was charged with murder Monday.

Bishop was allegedly watching his two children by himself at their Kingsley home when first responders took the emergency distress call around 3:45 p.m. Friday. Bishop's oldest son, 2, was not harmed and is staying with his grandparents. The mother of the children was at work when the alleged abuse occurred, Fewins said.

Emergency medical staff first noticed possible signs of abuse when they transported the infant to Munson Medical Center.

"What they were noticing was blood in both the baby's mouth and in the nose,” Fewins said.

The alleged abuse became more apparent in Grand Rapids.

"The swelling starts to take place and there is a change of the eyes that takes place after a while. This is something that would not have been as visible at Munson as it was at DeVos.”

Bishop's lawyer, Robert S. Whims, said Bishop is "devastated,” but would not comment on the specifics of the case.

"We are gathering facts right now,” Whims said. "I do know that a tragedy has happened. It is just a question of how it occurred and what are the circumstances.”

The infant's official cause of death is expected to be released after an autopsy scheduled for today.