A 43-year-old Montana man has been sentenced to two decades behind bars for a brutal 2018 assault that left a baby girl in his care permanently blind.
A Vicious Assault and a Trail of Cruel Words
Adam Paul Walker was handed a 20-year prison term on Thursday after pleading no contest to charges of aggravated assault. The court heard how, in 2018, he violently shook a 13-month-old girl he was babysitting, causing catastrophic injuries.
Walker was reportedly looking after the infant while her mother was out. He was in a turbulent relationship with the mother but was not the child's father. Upon her return, the mother discovered her daughter seriously injured.
When Walker called emergency services, he claimed the toddler had fallen and hit her head, reporting slowed breathing and a dazed look in her eyes, according to the Billings Gazette. However, medical evidence would later completely contradict this story.
Medical Evidence Points to Deliberate Violence
Emergency responders rushed the girl to a hospital in Billings. Investigators later discovered that Walker had driven under the influence to meet them there. At the hospital, his behaviour grew even more disturbing; he allegedly told staff the injured girl's name was spelled 'b***,' a claim his attorney later said was directed at the mother.
Doctors found the child had suffered severe brain haemorrhaging and bleeding in both eyes. She was transferred to a paediatric intensive care unit in Salt Lake City for specialist treatment. Medical professionals told investigators the injuries were classic signs of shaken baby syndrome and could not have resulted from an accidental fall, a pre-existing condition, or reasonable discipline.
Photographs presented during the trial depicted the little girl with breathing tubes in her nose and an IV line in her ankle.
A Lifetime of Consequences and Final Sentencing
Yellowstone County Attorney Arielle Dean delivered a powerful statement to the court, outlining the permanent damage. "Her entire brain was injured. Her eyes were so damaged that her sight was taken from her," Dean said. She emphasised that the girl "will never reach her pre-injury potential. Ever" and will never be the person she was born to be because of Walker's actions.
Nearly six years on, the child undergoes frequent physical and occupational therapy and has almost no vision. Dean also argued that Walker's dishonesty about the cause of the injuries delayed proper treatment.
Court records and police reports revealed a pattern of vile language used by Walker towards the child. He told officers in the emergency room that he "hated the little red-headed child" and believed "she was evil." In text messages obtained by Billings Police, he referred to her as a 'devil baby.'
Walker's defence attorney, Daniel Ball, argued for a suspended sentence, citing his client's PTSD from service in the Air Force. The judge was unmoved. Walker was sentenced to 20 years in the Montana State Prison, with five years suspended, for the aggravated assault. He received an additional day in jail for a misdemeanour DUI offence related to the incident. Charges of tampering with evidence were dropped.
Adam Paul Walker was led from the courtroom in handcuffs to begin his lengthy prison term.
