A Tarrant County man has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for beating his 10-week-old son to death in 2018.
Joseph Matthew Welborn, 31, was sentenced by a jury on June 1 after pleading guilty to a charge of causing serious bodily injury to a child, a first-degree felony. Welborn had initially faced capital murder charges in connection with the child’s death.
Welborn had been alone at home with his infant son, Christian, on December 21, 2018, according to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office.
The child’s mother and grandfather were out shopping. When they returned to the residence, they discovered the child lying in an “unresponsive, pale, and unconscious” state.
They called 911 immediately. Christian was rushed to the hospital, where medical professionals discovered he had suffered “blunt force trauma to the head.” Despite efforts to save him, Christian was pronounced dead.
The autopsy conducted on the child revealed the presence of two complex skull fractures.
Law enforcement officials reported that, during the investigation, Welborn had provided inconsistent statements, including blaming his 4-year-old son for dropping Christian.
However, the medical examiner’s report stated that the two skull fractures resulted from up to three separate impacts and would not have been caused by a fall or by a child.
Prosecuting attorney Katie Owens asked the jury to send a message with their sentence.
“The last thing that Christian saw was his dad grabbing him and violently slamming his head” into a hard surface, she said. “This is about giving Christian a voice. It was stolen by his own flesh and blood, his father. This sweet, innocent little baby deserved better.”
In nearby Dallas, the Dallas Police Department continues to battle violent crime with a shortfall of uniformed officers.
Dallas has just over 3,100 officers — roughly 400-500 officers shy of the number needed, according to Mike Mata, president of the Dallas Police Association. DPD Executive Assistant Chief David Pughes has noted violent crime rates directly correlate with the number of officers in uniform.
On a spectrum ranging from “safest” to “most dangerous,” downtown Dallas is considered “most dangerous,” according to NeighborhoodScout. Up-to-date City statistics on Dallas crime are not currently available, allegedly due to a ransomware attack against the City of Dallas.
