Benjamin Vinson Pleads Guilty To Endangering Child After Medical Examiner Says Death Was Not Homicide

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The medical examiner ruled the 2-month-old baby's death was caused by suffocation

From the original story

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Denis Dean spoke to 5NEWS about the case, offering new details on the incident following 44-year-old Benjamin Vinson's arrest.

Dean said that Vinson was one half of a homeless couple couch surfing in someone’s home. The homeowner had an in-home surveillance system, and the defendant was shown striking the baby off-and-on for 45 minutes because he was crying.

Over time, the baby began to cry less and less. At one point, the surveillance footage shows Vinson on top of the baby, as the two were co-sleeping.

Prosecutors said Vinson was also shown putting a blanket over the baby’s head, what they now say caused the child's suffocation death.

On May 8, 2025, prosecutors filed amended felony information, charging Vinson with manslaughter and adding a second-degree battery charge.

Officials had said after Vinson's arrest that while he was charged with battery, the case would likely be reexamined once a cause of death had been determined in an autopsy report from the state medical examiner.

Arkansas man accused of suffocating infant son charged with manslaughter

Over a year after his arrest, Vinson's charges were upgraded after an investigation into the death of his son.

www.5newsonline.com

 

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Allegedly

The baby's name was James William Vinson. Benjamin was the father and the mother is a close friend of my daughter. The mom is only 21, and was groomed by him since she was about 15. She left her home to be with him at 18. They were homeless and living in a tent at a homeless camp in Johnson near fayetteville. DCFS and CPS did not do their jobs because they were called about the living situation when the baby was a few days old in December. That is when they started staying with friends. He kept her and the baby isolated from her family who would have helped.