A man who beat his own 6-month-old child into oblivion was sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison following emotional statements from the child's maternal grandparents.
Anthony T. Robinson received the punishment Wednesday from Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Toia, who called Robinson's severe beating of Zayden Robinson 'appalling.'
'You sentenced Zayden to a life sentence for crying, just for crying,' Toia said. 'You not only sentenced him to a life sentence, but with the medical condition he has, you sentenced him to solitary confinement because he can't see, hear or feed himself.'
Robinson, 23, previously pleaded guilty to first-degree child abuse for inflicting injuries on Zayden, who suffered blunt-force trauma to his head and is now deaf and blind, on July 25 while caring for him at his and the mother's Washington Township apartment. Zayden has had seven head surgeries and was in an induced coma for two months, according to maternal grandparents Eugene and Marilyn Jones of Sterling Heights.
The grandparents assailed Robinson for failing to call 911 for several hours while knowing Zayden was badly hurt, failing to address self-admitted anger issues and his behavior during more than four hours of discussions with police.
'All you cared about was Anthony Robinson and minimize the trouble you were in,' he said. 'You admitted your actions when you realized you could no longer fool medical science. Medical science, X-rays and pictures don't lie, as you have found out.'During his video-recorded interview, Robinson told many versions of how Zayden was injured before making admissions and ending the interview by flipping a chair and screaming so loud he had to be restrained, Assistant Macomb Prosecutor Nicole Blank said.
'I watched 4-1/2 hours of the most disturbing confession video I have ever seen,' Blank said.
Eugene Jones accused Robinson of 'trying to minimize what you did' and 'get out of it' during the interview.
Robinson, when given his chance to speak, turned to the Jones family and apologized, repeatedly saying, 'I'm sorry,' but asked the judge 'to find it in your heart to be lenient.'
'I wish I could take it back,' he said. 'I love my son. I've been there for him every day.
'This isn't my character. This isn't who I am. I ask God for forgiveness everyday.'
Robinson groaned and his voice cracked during his statement, but Eugene Jones said after the hearing Robinson appeared to be showing 'crocodile tears.'
'It doesn't seem to be sincere, not a whole lot of crying,' Jones said.
Toia responded to Robinson's statement, 'You may have been there for your son but the day he needed you, you weren't there. You became his enemy that day.'
Robinson's mother, Yolanda Robinson, said after the hearing her son is taking the blame for Zayden's mother and was coerced into confessing.
'He thinks he has to be a man and take responsibility,' she said.
Father gets 10 years in prison after nearly beating infant to death
A man who beat his own 6-month-old child into oblivion was sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison following emotional statements from the child's maternal grandparents.
