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Sugar Cookie

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A western Pennsylvania man whose infant son was suffocated when he fell asleep on his father's chest is now facing involuntary manslaughter charges.

Owen Labrenn Copney is also charged with child endangerment in the death last year of his month-old son, Isiah.

Authorities say Copney fell asleep with Isiah lying face down on his chest on Sept. 17. When Copney woke up, the child was face down in the crook of his arm and wasn't breathing.

The child was taken to a hospital but died there two days later.

Authorities say Copney admitted he had been warned that falling asleep with his son on his chest could be dangerous for the child.
 
The child's mother had left the father alone while she visited a friend.

When Copney woke up, the child was face down in the crook of his arm and wasn't breathing.

The mother told authorities that when she returned to the child's father's home she knew the baby was dead.

Valley News Dispatch reports she told cops she was hysterical and screamed at Copney: 'I should never have left him with you!'

The child was taken to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for treatment but he died two days later on September 19.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Isiah died of Sudden Unexplained Infant Death. The Medical Examiner’s Office said Isiah lived in Leechburg.

The child's mother told police he had been warned about the dangers of falling asleep with a newborn on his body.

Copney had allegedly made the same mistake in the past and the the mother believed attempts to scare him would make him more careful.

The mother told law enforcement she'd shared horror stories with the father about incidents where other babies had died.

A past pussy is defending him
Jalyn Booker claimed in a post: 'This is my ex and he loved his son! He did nothing wrong!!!! His mother left him while she knew he was sleeping.

'After working a double shift so she could go party!!!!! The truth will come out!!! She endangered her child!!!!!! He’s effected greatly by this. Prayers needed to my family.'
 
I had an ex that this happened too. He was so heartbroken at the funeral. Nothing happened to any kids he had after that. Not sure how I feel about these multiple co-sleeping death people. I fell asleep feeding my kids and would wake up in a panic.

On this I think the mothers response seals it. It may not be intentionally malicious, but maybe dad doesn’t care enough to be responsible so therefore must be held legally accountable for his carelessness.
 
This is why we have beds for babies. It happens over and over. Co sleeping is one thing, they can be in a box between the parents on the bed. They're safe that way. Just lying on the bed with an adult is a tragedy waiting to happen. One little precaution can take away a life time of guilt.
 
January 16, 2020
A Vandergrift man awaiting trial on charges that he killed his 5-week-old baby last year claims he broke no laws and that his case should be dismissed.

Owen LaBrenn Copney, 27, was charged last March with felony counts of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment in connection with the death of his son.

Police said Copney fell asleep on a couch with the child on his chest Sept. 17, 2018 at his Vandergrift home and when he awoke he found the baby unresponsive wedged under his arm.

The baby, Isaiah, died two days later from injuries related to suffocation from unsafe sleep, according to testimony from a preliminary hearing last year.

Prosecutors said an autopsy report officially determined the baby’s cause of death as “Sudden Unexplained Infant Death” (SUID).

Defense attorney David Regoli in court documents filed said evidence against Copney does not suggest that a crime was committed.

“The only evidence offered was that the child passed away while sleeping on petitioner’s chest due to SUID, not as a direct result of any unlawful act of the petitioner nor due to any violation of a duty of care, protection or support,” Regoli wrote.

According to court records, Copney told police he had been warned by the baby’s mother to not fall asleep with the child on his chest. The mother, who lived with her son in Leechburg, had dropped off the baby with his father earlier that day, police said.

The trial for Copney, who is free on bail, is tentatively scheduled to begin in April.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio said she will conduct a hearing next month to consider the defense request to dismiss the charges.
 
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It is not unexplained when the baby was face down in the crook of your arm.
What I see here is a guy who won't admit to anything and is contorting to get out of trouble.

I have zero compassion for a chump that won't own his actions.
 
A Westmoreland County judge ruled that no crime was committed involving the death of 5-week old baby who suffocated while sleeping with his father on a sofa nearly two years ago in Vandergrift.

Charges of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment were dismissed against Owen Labrenn Copney, 27, whose newborn son, Isiah, was found unresponsive on his chest when he awoke from a nap.

Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio, in an eight-page ruling, sided with Copney’s argument that his son’s death was a tragic accident and not a crime.

“This case plays out a scenario that is very common in most families with newborns. This is a tragic loss for this family, however, this court finds that the conduct does not rise to the level of recklessness or gross negligence,” Bilik-DeFazio wrote.

Prosecutors contended the baby’s mother left the child with Copney on Sept. 17, 2018, while he stayed at a friend’s home in Vandergrift. According to court records, Copney fell asleep while holding the baby and, after an hour, awoke to find his son unresponsive as he lay across his chest, discolored and sweaty with the newborn’s head facing the couch and under his father’s armpit.

The baby died two days later at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. His cause of death, according the autopsy report, was Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Syndrome.

“The testimony established that defendant appeared to be holding the child securely on his chest when he fell asleep on the couch; there did not appear to any obstructions present such as blankets and defendant denied being under the influence of any drugs or medication at that time,” Bilik-DeFazio wrote.

Defense attorney David Regoli on Friday called the child’s death an “horrific accident.” He said Copney and the child’s mother lived separately and that she dropped the baby off with his father shortly after he returned home from working a double shift.
“He has to live with this for the rest of his life,” Regoli said. “There is no punishment the court can give him that he doesn’t already endure every day. His baby died.”
 
While I do believe it was an accident the mother of the child warned him several times not to fall asleep with the child on his chest so he at the very least was reckless.

If he goes on to have more children hopefully he has learned to not put another baby at risk.
 
The state appealed the dismissal and lost so this idiot who on multiple occasion prior to the babies death had mishaps with co-sleeping continued to do it and will probably do it again with another child.

During the habeas corpus proceeding, Ms. Ball testified that [Copney] was I.C.'s father, and she had an ongoing relationship with him through her pregnancy and after. Ms. Ball stated that she and [Copney] talked a lot together about safe measures concerning their baby. On one occasion, Ms. Ball indicated that [Copney] told her she could go to sleep[] and she was awoken to the baby hitting her as [Copney] pushed the baby off his shoulders after falling asleep. On a second occasion, Ms. Ball stated that she woke up observing [Copney] sleeping with his arm covering the baby's face. Both times, Ms. Ball indicated that she spoke with [Copney] about this behavior, and they agreed after the second incident to no longer sleep with the baby. On the date of the incident, Ms. Ball testified that she went to [Copney's] friend's residence, [where Copney] was staying, and dropped off their baby so [Copney] could spend time with him. On cross-examination, Ms. Ball confirmed that, even though it was not her intention for the baby to fall asleep in the bed with her and [Copney], it [] happened on more than two occasions.

Here, the trial court determined that the evidence presented did not establish a violation of a duty of care. Trial Court Opinion, 8/13/2020, at 7. We agree with the trial court that, despite Copney's knowledge of some potential risk, the evidence failed to establish that Copney's actions constituted a violation of a duty of care. Hence, Copney did not knowingly place his son into threatening circumstances. Likewise, the evidence was insufficient to show that Copney was practically certain that his conduct would result in the child's death. Instead, Copney expected his actions to be effective to protect the child's physical welfare. As such, the Commonwealth failed to provide prima facie evidence that Copney knowingly endangered the welfare of the child. Accordingly, the trial court did not err in granting Copney's petition for habeas corpus and dismissing the criminal charges against him.

Order affirmed.

he is either fucking lazy or too cheap to buy a damn bassinet shit leaving the baby in a car seat would have better.
 
We didn't have much money when I had my son, so I took hand-me-down everything, except the crib, and rehabbed them so they looked new. Really, it doesn't have to be that difficult or expensive. The baby won't know the difference.
 
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