Springfield Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Death of Infant Girl

For three days in the summer of 2008, Kelly Hill tried to comfort her boyfriend as they struggled with the news that their infant daughter likely would die.

http://www.vnews.com/09242010/7104842.htm

Published 9/24/2010
Springfield Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Death of Infant Girl

By Mark Davis Valley News Staff Writer

White River Junction -- For three days in the summer of 2008, Kelly Hill tried to comfort her boyfriend as they struggled with the news that their infant daughter likely would die.

Andrew Bedner had told Hill that he accidentally dropped seven-week old Cadence inside their Springfield, Vt. home, leaving the infant injured and on life support. • As the days at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center dragged on, Hill's anguish would only deepen.

Bedner would soon confess that Cadence's injuries were no accident -- he had abused her. Hill would tell doctors to take her firstborn off life support. The two-year legal case that followed drew to a close yesterday with a plea deal that saw Bedner sentenced to a minimum of 14 years in prison for second-degree murder.

“Do you know how much it has damaged me knowing that I sat there and comforted the man who murdered by baby girl?” Hill, 25, said yesterday in Windsor Superior Court.

Minutes after Hill spoke, Bedner, 30, stood and apologized to her, his first public remarks since the incident in July 2008.

“I just want to say how truly sorry I am for all the pain,” said Bedner, who had no prior criminal record. “There's absolutely nothing I can say that will ever take the pain away. I can only hope that once this is resolved, the healing process can begin for them. I love her, and I'm truly sorry.”

Judge Patricia Zimmerman said she was initially reluctant to accept the plea deal, and wanted Bedner to serve longer in prison. But ultimately, the judge said she decided it was impossible to pinpoint a sentence that would bring justice.

“Mr. Bedner, you could have asked for help,” Zimmerman said. “You could have told her you were really frustrated. I had some reservations about the time to serve in the plea agreement, but upon some more reflection, I don't know what number would be appropriate.”

Zimmerman also noted the plea deal would eliminate the need for a trial, during which medical experts would be forced to go into detail about Cadence's injuries.

“That is … a horrendous experience,” the judge said.

An affidavit written by Vermont State Police Detective Sgt. Michael O'Neil gives the following account.

Around 10:30 p.m. on July 28, 2008, as Hill and Bedner lay in bed watching the Red Sox game, Cadence woke up and began to cry. Bedner took her to the living room, fixed a bottle, changed her diaper and started feeding her.

On July 29, Bedner told police that, as he stood up feeding her, the baby kicked and he dropped her. Cadence hit her back on the floor, and began to gurgle and spit.

He began to cry and yelled to Hill, who called 911. Bedner performed mouth to mouth resuscitation following instructions that the 911 dispatcher gave to Hill, until an ambulance arrived at their home on Wall Street in Springfield, Vt.

But three days later, as Cadence remained on life support, Bedner told Vermont State Police Detective Sgt. William Jenkins that he wanted to talk, alone.

Inside a conference room in White River Junction courthouse, Bedner told Jenkins that he wanted to turn himself in, and admitted that he deliberately caused Cadence's injuries.

Bedner said that he actually had dropped Cadence, but then he “lost control.” He picked her up by the legs, failing to support her head. Cadence began to cry. Bedner hit her on the back of the head with his elbow.

Jenkins handcuffed Bedner. As they walked out of the room, they met O'Neil. Bedner told O'Neill that he was sorry, and asked for a hug. Bedner put his head on the sergeant's shoulder, and asked how he could have harmed his own daughter.

In court yesterday, Windsor County State's Attorney Robert Sand said that while some might want Bedner to serve more time in prison, the plea deal was just.

“Some will portray the defendant as a monster, and the case would be easier if that were the case,” Sand said. “But he is not.”

“People may say vengeance requires nothing less than a life (sentence), that we need to lash out in response to what the defendant did,” Sand continued. “But it was lashing out that got us here.”

Both Sand and defense attorney David Sleigh said the 14-year sentence is on par with those in other recent shaken baby cases in Vermont.

Bedner, even after he leaves prison, will be on probation for the rest of his life, Sand said. Officially, Bedner received a sentence of 30 years to life, with all but 14 years suspended. With credit for time he has already served, Bedner could be released from Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield in less than 12 years. He would be 42 years old.

During her lengthy statement, Hill barely touched on the legal proceedings, or Bedner's sentence. Instead, she reflected on the two months she spent as a mother.

Hill said for much of her life, she had wanted to be a mother. Bedner seemed to be a good, caring father, and the two were planning their lives together. Hill said she suspects that Bedner was too proud to admit that he struggled to keep his emotions in check while dealing with a crying baby.

“It blows my mind that he never asked for help,” Hill said. “I truly believe his pride and ego killed my baby girl.”

Hill said she hoped for a miracle, but soon came to realize that she would never hear her daughter's first giggle, or get to take her to her first day of school.

On Aug. 9, 2008, Hill called family and friends to DHMC. Hill made to sure to have Cadence's handprints and footprints, and dressed her in a nice outfit. And then she held her baby one last time.

“I was in utter turmoil,” Hill said yesterday. “I wasn't ready to let her go, but she deserved to be free of pain. I didn't want her to leave me.”