Man Pleads Guilty In 2016 Death Of Brockton Toddler

BROCKTON, MA — A California man has pleaded guilty to charges in the 2016 death of a Brockton two-year 0ld, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz announced in a news release Wednesday.

The man, 28-year-old Timy Jo Griffin of Long Beach, pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 10 years in state prison, officials said.

Brockton Police responded to a 911 call on the evening of December 5, 2016 about an unresponsive two-year-old on East Main Street and Brockton, according to officials. The toddler was taken to a hospital before being flown to another for treatment, but died three days later, officials said.

Investigators conducted multiple interviews with Griffin, who was an acquaintance of the
mother of the victim and was taking care of the toddler at the time he suffered the severe head trauma, according to officials.

Griffin claimed the boy had a tantrum, fell off of his toddler bed and struck his head, which rendered him unresponsive. However, experts said that the child's injuries, which included "extreme retinal
hemorrhaging and uncontrollable swelling to his brain," were likely the result of violent shaking or slamming of the boy, officials said.

Griffin was arrested in California in July 2019 after a grand jury indicted him on charges of murder and reckless endangerment of a child on June 28, MassLive reported. He was then brought to Brockton Superior Court, where he plead not guilty to both charges and was held without bail.

Jury selection was set to begin for Griffin's trial when he pleaded guilty Tuesday, officials said.