Father Gets 12 Years In Prison After Infant Son Suffers Severe Brain Injury

MCHENRY, IL — A McHenry man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated battery of a child in connection with severe injuries suffered by his 4-month-old son in 2022, prosecutors announced.

DeShawn M. Wilson, 28, was sentenced Thursday by McHenry County Judge Tiffany E. Davis after entering a negotiated guilty plea to the Class X felony, according to the McHenry County State's Attorney's Office. Prosecutors said the plea agreement was reached with input from and the agreement of the child's family. Aggravated battery to a child carries a sentence of six to 30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

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The case stems from July 17, 2022, when paramedics responded to a report of an unresponsive 4-month-old infant. Wilson, the child's father, had been caring for the boy while the child's mother was at work, prosecutors said.

The infant was initially taken to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital before being airlifted to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago because of the severity of his condition. The child suffered a severe brain injury that required emergency surgery, according to prosecutors.

During the investigation, Wilson admitted that he shook and bounced his son while attempting to get the infant to sleep, the state's attorney's office said.

Wilson will be required to serve 85 percent of his 12-year sentence under Illinois truth-in-sentencing requirements. After his release, he must serve three years of mandatory supervised release and register as a Violent Offender Against Youth.

"This resolution holds Wilson accountable for the devastating and lasting injuries he caused his infant son," McHenry County State's Attorney Randi Freese said in a statement. "It also brings these lengthy criminal proceedings to a close for the victim's family."

Freese said she hopes the family can now focus on the child's continued care and well-being.