Parents Smothered 4-Month-Old Son At South Jersey Motel: Police

A mother and father from Burlington County have been charged with murdering their 4-month-old son, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and New Jersey State Police Colonel Patrick J. Callahan announced on Tuesday.

William Herring, 42 and Brianna Brochhausen, 22, are accused of killing their son, who suffocated in a Springfield Township motel room in which the family was living back in February, police said.

They were arrested on Monday, and charged with murder in the first degree and first-degree conspiracy to commit murder. They were initially charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child after the Feb. 14 incident, but those charges were upgraded following an investigation.

Springfield Township police responded to the Hilltop Motel on the 100 block of Route 68 after the parents reported that their son had stopped breathing, police said.

After further investigation, police said they learned that the parents were frustrated because their son Hunter wouldn’t fall asleep. He wouldn’t stop crying, so they decided to put him in “time out,” police said.

They put him on his stomach on the bed and pulled the comforter over his entire body, police said. They then left the room to smoke cigarettes and returned about 10 minutes later to find him not breathing and unresponsive, police said.

Hunter was taken to Virtua Hospital in Mount Holly. He was immediately transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he had minimal brain activity and was breathing with the assistance of a respirator. He died March 3 after life support was removed, police said.

An autopsy conducted by Philadelphia Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Albert Chu found the cause of death to be “complications of suffocation.” The manner of death was deemed to be homicide.

“The thoughtless actions of these individuals ended up costing a defenseless 4-month-old infant his life,” said Callahan, the New Jersey State Police Superintendent. “I commend the detectives of our Homicide South Unit and Criminal Investigation Office for their commitment and dedication to finding justice for Baby Hunter.”

“The responsibilities of becoming a new parent can sometimes be overwhelming,” Coffina said. “Those who find themselves at a point of crisis when caring for a newborn child should know that help is available, and they must seek that help rather than taking actions that might harm their child.”

Parents Anonymous of New Jersey offers parent support groups, and also provides a 24-hour Stressline/Family Helpline to listen to the concerns of parents and provide referral and crisis intervention information. They can be reached at 1-800-THE-KIDS, or www.pofnj.com.

New Jersey also has a Safe Haven Infant Protection Act. The law allows parents or their representatives to anonymously surrender a newborn baby at any hospital emergency room, police station, fire station, ambulance, first aid or rescue squad that is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information visit http://www.njsafehaven.org/.

The attached images of William Herring and Brianna Brochhausen were provided by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office