AR Man Pleads Not Guilty To Capital Murder 15 Years After Shaking Baby

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Zachary Campbell pleaded not guilty to capital murder on Monday, 15 years after shaking a 5-week-old baby.

The now 34-year-old man was arrested in 2009 after admitting to police that he shook his newborn baby multiple times.

At that time, he pleaded guilty to battery charges and was sentenced to 32 years in prison. Last year, the child died, and prosecutors charged Campbell with capital murder.

The baby suffered a traumatic brain injury and had to be intubated, according to the affidavit. He was ultimately diagnosed with cerebral palsy and had to use a feeding tube.

The baby was placed with a foster family and was later adopted.

His new family cared for the baby until June 20, 2024, when he died in hospice care. At his death, he had cerebral palsy, spastic quadriplegia, moderate seizure activity, and could only eat through a feeding tube.

An autopsy found the boy's traumatic brain injury led to microcephaly, which led to his brain being significantly underdeveloped.

Arkansas man pleads not guilty to capital murder 15 years after shaking baby

A Rogers man pleaded not guilty to capital murder on Monday, 15 years after shaking a 5-week-old baby.

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Zachary Campbell was 19 at the time of his arrest for battery on Oct. 24, 2009.

His son, Carter, was just five weeks old when he was hospitalized in Rogers after he was shaken. Carter arrived at the hospital with multiple injuries, including a brain bleed, bruising all over his body, and a broken clavicle, according to court documents.

At the hospital, investigators spoke to medical professionals about the baby's condition and injuries.

"He said the only way the child would have sustained such injuries to his brain was from a fall or the child was forcefully struck by an object," a deputy reported after speaking to doctors.

Investigators also spoke with family members and found that Campbell initially claimed he "tripped" over the baby while he was in a bouncy seat.

"At first, he minimized the force of shaking and the amount of time he shook the baby. Then he admitted to shaking the baby up to six times in the past two weeks, with the most recent being this morning," the affidavit says. "He said he was telling the baby to 'shut the f*** up' and did see the baby's head whipping back and forth."

Investigators said in 2009 that Campbell knew the baby was possibly injured but didn't do anything.

"Zachary said that after he shook the baby, he began acting incoherent. He said he did not 'pick up on it' until about 8 this morning, and he knew he was the one who hurt the baby. He said he did not take the baby for help because he had no way to do so. He did not want to call 911 because he could not afford an ambulance," the affidavit says.

Campbell's son, Carter, survived his injuries but still suffered lifelong ailments before passing away in June 2024, according to his obituary.

Arkansas man pleads not guilty to murder 15 years after shaken baby incident

Campbell was sentenced for shaking his 5-month-old son over a decade ago, causing permanent damage. After his son's death in 2024, he's back in court.

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