West Virginia Man Charged with Murder in Death of 1-Year-Old Stepson

JANE LEW, W.Va. — A West Virginia man is facing charges of first-degree murder and child abuse causing death after allegedly confessing to fatally injuring his 1-year-old stepson out of frustration.

Zachary Williams, 27, was arrested following an investigation into the death of a child at a home in Jane Lew, according to WDTV.

Emergency crews were called to the residence last Sunday after reports that the baby had stopped breathing. First responders attempted CPR before transporting the child to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead about an hour later.

Police interviewed the child’s grandparents, who also lived in the home. They reported the baby had been in normal health aside from a mild cold. That morning, they said, the baby had bumped his head while crawling, leaving a small red mark above his left eye. No other immediate signs of trauma were noted by the responding medical examiner.

Authorities questioned both the child’s mother and Williams, her partner, about the circumstances leading to the incident. The mother told investigators the baby was unusually fussy due to illness, and after feeding him breakfast, she attempted to put him down for a nap. When the child refused to settle, she woke Williams to help.

According to a criminal complaint, Williams took the child into a bedroom, and shortly afterward, began yelling for help. The mother found the child limp and unresponsive, prompting a 911 call and CPR efforts.

Williams initially told police he had been trying to soothe the child by bouncing him when the baby suddenly went limp. However, following an autopsy that revealed a severe skull fracture on the back of the child’s head—a type of injury consistent with blunt-force trauma—Williams was questioned again.

He then admitted to police that, in a moment of frustration, he threw the child, causing the baby to strike his head on a bed frame and the floor. Court records say Williams confessed, saying, “It was all my fault.”

Williams is being held without bond at Central Regional Jail.