Bristol Father Had Shaken Baby Before Death, DA Says

Updated: 1:45 p.m.

LEVITTOWN, PA —A Bristol father has been charged with the homicide of his 4-month-old son, with the father admitting that he had shaken the baby before his death and a medical examination determining that the boy had been a "battered child," according to court records and authorities.

Tyler Patrick Sullivan, 30, of Bristol was charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and endangering the welfare of a child, court records state. He was brought before Magisterial District Judge Frank Peranteau Thursday morning and sent to the Bucks County Correctional Facility without bail due to the homicide charge.

During an interview with Bristol Police, Sullivan admitted to violently shaking the baby on two occasions, once Wednesday morning he described as violently, and once in the evening after giving the baby a bath, according to a court affidavit and the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.

Bucks County Coroner Meredith Buck said she is performing an autopsy Thursday.

According to an affidavit, Bristol Borough police were dispatched to 1038 Radcliffe St. at 11:35 p.m. Wednesday for a 4-month-old boy in cardiac arrest.

The baby was not breathing and was cold to the touch. CPR was administered and the boy, identified in court papers as TS, was transported to Lower Bucks Hospital by Bucks County Rescue squad where he was pronounced dead Thursday morning.

After an examination, it was determined that the baby was blue from the lack of oxygen, had no pulse, no blood pressure, contusions to the forehead, battle sign bruising, a contusion on the neck, no movement in the eyes, contusions to the right thigh, lower eye bruising, upper head injuries and abrasions to the right side of the nose.

A doctor said the injuries were indicative of a battered child. He said when the boy arrived at the hospital he was already deceased.

Sullivan said that he bumped the boy's head on the rocker chair on a prior occasion, bumped his head on the bathing tub on Wednesday night and that he had shaken TS at least six additional times over the last six weeks.

The boy's mother told police that over the past few months, while the boy was in Sullivan's sole custody, she noticed bruising on TS's body that was not consistent with Sullivan's explanations.