GATE CITY, Va. – Michael Douglas Barton, age 25, was sentenced for manslaughter and child abuse in the Scott County Circuit Court on Tuesday, March 9.
After a year-long investigation, Barton will serve the maximum time allowed- 15 years in prison- for his actions that caused the death of his five-month-old son.
The investigation began on March 16, of last year when police were called to Barton’s home in Ft. Blackmore.
Barton was seen by neighbors in his yard yelling for help. Authorities arrived shortly thereafter and found Michael Anthony Lee Barton dead on his parent’s bed. Barton originally stated he did not know what could have happened to his son. The Scott County Sheriff’s Office initially believed that the infant may have died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (S.I.D.S.).
Officials say they later received a call from Barton’s relatives, which suggested that Barton might have caused the death.
Lt. Investigator Chris Holder was then assigned to the case and interviewed Barton along with the State Police, when Barton stated, that in the early morning of March 16, his wife had gone to work and he was left at home with his son and daughter, he could not get his son to stop crying; that he put his hand over his child’s mouth to get him to stop crying, that he kept his hand there until he stopped crying; he put a pacifier in his mouth and turned the baby face down in the what authorities described as a foam mattress. Barton then went back to sleep.
Barton states he did not think anything was wrong with his son at that time, he then woke up to find his son not responding. The State Medical Examiner concluded the cause of death was Undetermined. The Autopsy stated that although the cause of death could not be determined that the death was not inconsistent with any one of three reasons for the death, S.I.D.S, unintentional suffocating or smothering.
Barton was originally charged with 2nd Degree Murder, however, after a yearlong investigation by the Sheriff’s Office and the Virginia State Police the evidence concluded that the infant’s death was not premeditated, was unintended, and committed without malice.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Marcus McClung stated, “Lt. Holder and the State Police has done another outstanding job in the face of the worst circumstances. Although they concluded that the death was not premeditated or intended, it is very criminal. I have worked very closely with Shawna Barton the mother of little Michael. She and the rest of the family have suffered more than anyone should and our thoughts and prayers continue to be with them. The family has told me this was a stupid mistake that Barton has done and no one in the family believes that this was premeditated or intentional.” However, Barton culpable actions cause his sons death and he will now serve the maximum punishment the Virginia law allows for this type of behavior.”
Barton was sentenced to ten years for manslaughter and five years for child abuse those sentences are to run consecutive to one another for a total of 15 years in prison. No time in this sentence will be suspended and Barton will serve the entire sentence.
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