Marine on trial in death of 2-month-old

[unhappycamper]

Marine on trial in death of 2-month-old
By David Allen, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Wednesday, October 29, 2008

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — There is no such thing as Shaken Baby Syndrome, claims the defense in the trial of a Marine charged with killing his 2-month-old daughter in his Ishikawa apartment in January.

During the first day of the general court-martial of Lance Cpl. James J. Boston, 22, his attorney, Lt. Col. David Jones, said he would produce expert medical testimony refuting that violently shaking a baby can alone cause severe brain injuries and death.

"Science has shown that one cannot shake a baby and cause such damage without some sort of impact," Jones said during his opening statement Monday. He said the issue of whether a baby can be shaken so hard that it can cause such damage to the brain — without the baby’s neck being broken or the skull fractured by a forceful impact — was a "controversial and complicated" issue in the medical community.

"It’s never been shown a human being can cause enough force to cause that kind of an injury," Jones said. "To this day it has never been proven."

Capt. Paul Ervasti, lead prosecutor in the case, said experts will testify that injuries to Tahirah Boston on Jan. 28 were consistent to what has become accepted as Shaken Baby Syndrome. Of 27 witnesses scheduled to be called to testify in the case, 15 are medical professionals.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=58446