Officials said Sterling was watching the baby at the time while the baby’s mother was out buying food. The infant’s mother returned from the store and found a bottle she made for the baby wasn’t fed to him.
Sterling told her that he had not heard anything from their son, so he didn’t give him the bottle. She went to check on the baby, which is when she found him unresponsive, according to WFMY.
According to authorities, Waylon suffered retinal hemorrhaging and had an abnormal MRI, and during questioning, Sterling allegedly provided inconsistent statements regarding the injuries that eventually killed his son.
In 2012, Sterling shook his 3-week-old son, seriously injuring him, WGHP reported. As a result, the baby suffered permanent brain damage. He’s also blind and has cerebral palsy.
Sterling pleaded guilty to child abuse inflicting serious injury in 2013 and received a 45-day sentence. The newborn’s mother, Breanne Fowler, was also charged but she left the state and was never prosecuted, the News & Record reported.
In addition, Sterling was accused of assaulting a woman in 2022, WGHP reported.
After the 2012 incident, Sterling’s two children, including the injured baby, were placed into foster care and have been adopted.
Tracy Trepcyk, the adoptive mother of one of the children, told WGHP, “We tried to tell everybody that he was going to do this again.”