David Moyer (mugshot courtesy of Montgomery County DA’s Office) is charged with third-degree murder.
Prosecutors on Wednesday announced the arrest of a Pennsylvania man charged with murder following the death of his 8-week-old son.
David Moyer, 24, appeared in Montgomery County Court where he was arraigned on charges of third-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child, and recklessly endangering another person, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele.
Court records show that Moyer could not post his $1,000,000 bail and was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
A news release from prosecutors details the events that allegedly led to the child’s tragic death.
Moyer told investigators that he had been caring for his son on Feb. 22, the day that the child was brought to the hospital.
That morning, the infant had vomited on Moyer, “who put him forcibly down on the bed, face first and was left there for 20 minutes,” according to prosecutors.
When Moyer returned to get the baby, he was no longer breathing.
Rather than call 911, Moyer and the boy’s mother instead ordered an Uber and waited an additional 20 minutes for the car to arrive, according to prosecutors.
The baby was admitted to Phoenixville Hospital, where hospital staff was able to revive the infant after performing life-saving measures.
Medics then transported the baby to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), opting to airlift the infant to the facility because of his condition. CHOP is only 25 miles from Phoenixville Hospital.
According to prosecutors, the team at CHOP then notified law enforcement about the child.
“CHOP physicians noted both healing injuries on the baby and subdural hemorrhaging in the brain and numerous hemorrhages in the retina of the left eye, among other findings,” said Steele.
Two weeks later, on March 3, the baby died.
A forensic pathologist performed an autopsy on the infant the following day, determining the cause of death to be multiple blunt impact injuries. The manner of death was homicide, according to prosecutors.
That prompted an investigation by Pennsylvania State Police Troop K and Montgomery County Detectives, which led to the arrest of Moyer.
He is scheduled to appear in court next on March 29 for a preliminary hearing in the case.
Moyer does not have a lawyer at this time and did not request a public defender at his arraignment on Wednesday.
He has previously been convicted of charges including theft by deception, theft by unlawful taking of moveable property, disorderly conduct by engaging in fighting, and multiple counts of disorderly conduct with the intent of creating a hazardous or physically offensive condition.
Most of those charges were brought against him in Montgomery County.