Hawkins Man Indicted For 2020 Death Of Mount Carmel Infant

[Sugar Cookie]

Hawkins County man who had been wanted on a sealed grand jury murder indictment in connection with the December death of his girlfriend's 5-month-old child turned himself in on Friday at the Hawkins County Jail.

Dominic Michael Antonio Liberto, 24, of Mount Carmel, was named in an April 19 Hawkins County grand jury sealed indictment on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child neglect and aggravated child abuse.

The indictment alleges that on Dec. 6, 2020, Liberto committed aggravated child abuse by knowingly, other than accidental means, treating Aspen Reese Shepherd in such a manner as to inflict serious bodily injury to the child that ultimately caused the child’s death.

The indictment further alleges that Liberto knowingly neglected Shepherd so as to adversely affect Aspen’s health and welfare, resulting in serious bodily injury to the child that ultimately caused the child’s death.

Liberto and Aspen's mother lived together at the time of Aspen's death, and they had been together for about a year, but Liberto wasn't Aspen's biological father.

“He was the only one left alone with him that morning,” Stallard said. “The mother of the child had went to work, and he was the only one there with the baby, and something happened. Instead of him calling the police and the ambulance first, he tried to take the child to a different location, and then called the ambulance.”

Family member said, “The child had previous skull fractures, and skull fractures from what had just happened."

The case was investigated by Mount Carmel Police Department Detective Cody Bussell.

 

[Sejanus]

Crush his skull slowly.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

Aspen Reese Shepard

 

[Sugar Cookie]

• Oct 28, 2023

The District Attorney’s Office for the Third Judicial District has dismissed the charges against Dominic Michael Antonio Liberto, 26, who was charged in 2021 with murder in the death of his girlfriend’s 4-month-old daughter.

After obtaining new evidence, the DA’s office filed a nolle or a decline to prosecute.

According to the DA for the Third Judicial District, Dan Armstrong, both sides were able to present experts that could dispute the cause of death and timeline of abuse. So, they consulted a third opinion from a neurologist.

According to the neurologist’s report, Shepherd had a skull fracture and evidence of trauma to her brain. The report states that she likely died due to the presence of cerebral edema, a type of brain swelling.

The neurologist gave two possible explanations for the cause of the edema: a cardiac arrest or the response to an acute trauma. His report also stated that the trauma that caused the skull fracture could have happened up to 72 hours before the development of the edema.

Armstrong said this meant that, unlike what they had originally believed, Liberto was not the only person with Shepherd during the time frame that the abuse could have taken place.

So, while the evidence does show that Shepherd was abused, the neurologist stated in his report that he couldn’t definitively determine if that abuse caused her the cerebral edema that led to her untimely death.

Hawkins County DA dismisses charges in the death of an infant

In a significant turn of events, charges against Dominic Liberto in the 2020 death of infant Aspen Shepherd have been dismissed in Mount Carmel.

www.timesnews.net

 

[Crazy Cat Lady]

It’s a damn shame that whoever did kill Aspen will get away with murder.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

It’s a damn shame that whoever did kill Aspen will get away with murder.

Armstrong said if they can bring forth charges in the future, they are open to continue investigating the abuse allegations.

Hawkins County DA dismisses charges in the death of an infant

In a significant turn of events, charges against Dominic Liberto in the 2020 death of infant Aspen Shepherd have been dismissed in Mount Carmel.

www.timesnews.net

They should investigate and put pressure on the mother.