Naugatuck Mother to Serve 18 Months in Shaken Baby Case

A young mother who admitted to police that she shook her baby a year ago was sentenced Wednesday to serve 18 months in prison.

Alexandra Valentine, who was 19 when the incident happened and is 20 now, pleaded guilty to risk of injury to a child as part of a plea deal. She will be on probation for three years when she gets out of prison. 

Valentine told Naugatuck Police that she shook her then 4-month-old baby boy Jaden because she was frustrated with his crying, according to a police report of the incident.  

EMTs were called Nov. 1, 2012, when another caretaker found the boy unresponsive while Valentine was at work. They performed CPR and brought him to Waterbury Hospital, where he was immediately airlifted to Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford. Jaden had bleeding on the brain and had a fractured leg, police said. Valentine admitted to police that she had shaken the baby a week prior, according to a police report. 

The Republican-American reports that the boy has medical problems but would be OK as he matures.  

Valentine was originally charged with first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment and risk of injury to a child. The most serious charge, first-degree assault, is a Class B felony that could have put Valentine behind bars for 10 years. She faced up to five years in prison as part of her plea deal. 

Shaken baby syndrome is a serious brain injury resulting from forcefully shaking an infant or toddler, according to the Mayo Clinic.

"Shaken baby syndrome destroys a child's brain cells and prevents his or her brain from getting enough oxygen," the Mayo Clinic states on its website. "Shaken baby syndrome is a form of child abuse that can result in permanent brain damage or death."