A Conroe man will spend 40 years behind bars after he was convicted of violently shaking and injuring a 3-month-old baby for crying too much and to “toughen” it up.
Shikeith Deere, 26, was found guilty of first-degree injury to a child Aug. 11 by a Montgomery County jury.
Deere will be eligible for parole after serving at least half of the sentence.
Mike Holley, first assistant with the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, said the jury considered the lasting effects on the child and Deere’s previous abuse criminal history.
According to the arrest affidavit, Montgomery County deputies responded to a Spring area apartment in the 25000 block of Brookhaven Drive on Aug. 1, 2020 for a welfare check after dispatchers received a 911 hang-up call reporting an infant in distress.
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Deputies learned the mother of the baby had taken the infant to an emergency clinic and the infant was then taken to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston where doctors learned the extent of the baby’s injuries.
A Child Protective Services Special Investigator reported to deputies that doctors at the hospital determined the baby had numerous injuries including “brain bleeds” and broken ribs in various stages of healing, court documents state.
Deere told investigators the injuries to the baby were caused by him “playing too rough” and the broken ribs were caused by him throwing the baby in the air and catching him.
Deere also said the baby was “angry” and cried all the time and felt it was his responsibility to “toughen” the baby up, the affidavit states.
