West Hartford father rejects plea deal in case of infant daughter’s death
A father who is charged with fatally injuring his infant daughter in West Hartford nearly two years ago has rejected an offer to spend just three years in prison on a reduced charge of second-degree manslaughter.
Grant McAuslan appeared in court in Hartford on Tuesday and rejected an offer from state prosecutors of a 10-year prison sentence, suspended after he serves three years in prison, followed by five years of probation in exchange for pleading guilty to second-degree manslaughter, according to court officials and his defense attorney Peter Soulsby.
McAuslan is charged with first-degree manslaughter with grave risk of death and risk of injury to a child in connection with his infant daughter’s death. He has pleaded not guilty to both charges, court records show.
Police were called to McAuslan’s West Hartford home at 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 3, 2021, for reports of a medical emergency. The infant was still breathing when first responders arrived and she was rushed to the hospital by ambulance with her father by her side, police said.
McAuslan and his wife told police that they’d woken up to the baby crying about 11 p.m. McAuslan’s wife went downstairs to pump breast milk, while McAuslan went from their 2-year-old daughter’s bedroom, where he was sleeping, to his wife’s bedroom where the baby was sleeping and warmed up a bottle, according to police.
McAuslan’s wife told police her husband appeared irritated about being woken up. While she was downstairs, she said she heard a loud bang and heard McAuslan yell out an expletive, according to the warrant affidavit for his arrest.
McAuslan initially told police he lifted his infant daughter out of the infant bed on his wife’s bed, but she slipped out of his arms and landed on the hardwood flooring next to the bed, the affidavit said.
A doctor at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, where the baby was treated, told a police officer that it was “highly unlikely” the severe injuries the infant suffered were from a drop of three or four feet, according to the affidavit.
After learning that her injuries were inconsistent with a short fall, McAuslan reportedly asked to speak with officers again at the hospital and told them that there was more to his story. He said he’d picked up the baby with more force than he originally said, “essentially whipping her around” and causing the hard fall, the affidavit said.
His wife repeatedly told police she did not think her husband caused their baby intentional harm. Police said that at the hospital, the baby’s condition “rapidly deteriorated” and both parents were visibly upset, records show.
The baby suffered multiple skull fractures and extensive hemorrhages, according to court records. She was pronounced dead at about 7:30 p.m. the next day.
Medical examinations found that the baby’s injuries were indicative of “abusive head trauma” and were not the type of injuries to be expected “from short free fall,” according to police.
McAuslan was arrested two days later. He has been released from custody on a $750,000 bond, records show.
He appeared in court before Judge David P. Gold on Tuesday and his case was added to the trial list, court officials said. His next court date has yet to be scheduled.