On February 16, 2022, John Anderson, Jr., age 25, received a sentence of 8 to 20 years of imprisonment in a state penitentiary for the June 2019 homicide of his 9-month-old son.  On the morning of June 12, 2019, the Harrisburg Bureau of Police responded to a residence on Geary Street for a 911 call reporting an infant in distress.  Emergency responders rushed the child to the Harrisburg Hospital, but he was dead on arrival.  The defendant told police that he found the child unconscious hanging in a laundry basket located next to the bed on which the child had been sleeping with the defendant. 

An autopsy revealed that the child had died of sustained compression causing asphyxia.  The child also had bruising on his head which the forensic pathologist determined had occurred shortly before the child’s death.  The forensic pathologist listed the manner of death as undetermined, but he found that the father’s account was inconsistent with the evidence.  In November 2021, the defendant pleaded nolo contendere to third-degree murder, pursuant to an agreement with the District Attorney’s Office. Under the agreement, the sentencing judge had discretion to impose a minimum sentence of imprisonment between 9 months, the Standard Range of the Sentencing Guidelines for involuntary manslaughter, and 102 months, the Standard Range of the Sentencing Guidelines for third-degree murder.

Defense counsel argued to Judge Edward M. Marsico, Jr., that the child died because of an accidental smothering while sleeping in the same bed. The defendant had been smoking marijuana prior to sleeping with the child. The defendant asked the Court to impose a sentence within the Standard Range for involuntary manslaughter.  Chief Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Gettle implored the Court to sentence the defendant to the top of the range under the agreement.  “The child’s head injuries and the defendant’s lies to the police about how the child was found clearly show his consciousness of guilt.” The prosecutor also read the defendant’s text messages to the child’s mother two weeks earlier that showed his growing frustration with caring for the child.  In setting the sentence at the top of guidelines, Judge Marsico indicated that the defendant had caused the death of the most innocent victim. 

Addressing the Court at sentencing, the defendant expressed anger at the police “for disrespecting him.” Marsico told the defendant that “he needed to get over it.  The police were not disrespecting you.  They were trying to solve the death of a child.” The mother of the child gave an emotional statement indicating the defendant had “robbed her of being a mother by choosing to use drugs” and causing the death of her son. 

The District Attorney’s Office credited the efforts of Detective Paula Trovy of the Harrisburg Bureau of Police for helping to bring justice in connection with the baby’s homicide.