A Belle Plaine man was sentenced to more than 17 years for killing his 2-month-old son by tightly wrapping him in a blanket until the infant stopped breathing minutes later.
Joshua S. Sundblad, 26, was sentenced Monday in Scott County District Court after being convicted of first- and third-degree assault, and second-degree manslaughter. The child, Carson Scott Bosquez Sundblad, was killed May 9, 2014, in the home of his mother's parents.
Upon leaving prison, Sundblad will serve another 8⅔ years on supervised release.
Carson's mother told investigators that she left work on a break and saw Sundblad and Carson in bed together, and the baby appeared purple. She picked up the infant, and he was limp and unresponsive.
An autopsy revealed a skull fracture and bleeding on the brain from some time ago, recent and previous rib fractures, and a broken wrist.
Questioned by investigators a few months later, Sundblad said many of the injuries were from accidents, but he could not explain the skull fracture. He said he fell once while holding Carson, held him too tightly during a diaper change and accidentally banged the infant's head on a door frame.
Sundblad acknowledged he was "not in a good mood" on the day Carson died and placed the baby on the changing table "in a firm or aggressive way," the charges against him read.
After changing the diaper, he wrapped the crying baby "so tight [in a blanket] that he could not breathe," the complaint continued.
