Two parents are accused of murdering their 4-month-old son at a Burlington County, New Jersey, motel.
William Herring, 42, and Brianna Brochhausen, 22, both of Mahwah, New Jersey, are both charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Investigators say Herring and Brochhausen were with their 4-month-old son Hunter at the Hilltop Motel on the 100 block of Route 68 in Springfield Township back on Feb. 14. The parents were frustrated because Hunter would not stop crying and they decided to put him on “time out,” according to police.
Investigators say the parents positioned Hunter’s stomach on the bed and covered his head and entire body with a comforter. The parents then went outside to smoke cigarettes and returned to the room about 10 minutes later where they discovered Hunter was not breathing and unresponsive, according to police.
The baby was taken to Virtua Hospital in Mount Holly before being transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
The baby died on March 3 after life support was removed. The Medical Examiner determined he died from “complications of suffocation” and his death was ruled a homicide.
“The thoughtless actions of these individuals ended up costing a defenseless 4-month-old infant his life,” Col. Callahan, the New Jersey State Police Superintendent, said. “I commend the detectives of our Homicide South Unit and Criminal Investigation Office for their commitment and dedication to finding justice for Baby Hunter.”
Herring and Brochhausen were taken into custody Monday by New Jersey State police.
