Northwestern Arizona man sentenced in death of 5-week-old son
KINGMAN, Ariz. — A 20-year prison sentence was imposed Friday for a Bullhead City man convicted of second-degree murder in the death of his 5-week-old son.
The punishment for Jonathon Vandergriff, 27, was the most possible under terms of a plea agreement.
Vandergriff professed his innocence and explained he took the deal sparing himself risk of further prison time if convicted at trial. He blamed the victim’s mother, Staci Barbosa, 22, for the June 2010 death of Matthew Vandergriff.
Barbosa blames Vandergriff for the homicide but she is serving a 15-year prison sentence for failing to protect Matthew and get him the medical attention he needed before he died at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas.
The Clark County coroner’s office determined that Matthew died of blunt force trauma. He had multiple broken ribs, a fractured femur, was bruised from head to toe, and was suffering from dehydration and malnourishment when admitted the day before he died.
Matthew weighed about 6 pounds when admitted, nearly 2 pounds less than when he was born five weeks prior.
Judge Derek Carlisle said it was clear that numerous attorneys, police officers and medical personnel involved in the case agreed that Matthew’s was the most disturbing case of child abuse they had handled. Yet, he accepted attorney arguments that the plea bargains in the case were appropriate because of a lack of evidence directly linking anyone to the abuse.
Vandergriff previously pleaded guilty to the abuse of his 8-month-old daughter in 2006, an offense for which he was given a 90-day jail sentence and three years probation in 2006.
