Man charged for smothering stepson given 13 years
Judge Raymond Huber sentenced Joseph A. Jackson, 29, Waupaca, to 13 years in prison.
Jackson was convicted in February of felony child neglect with the consequence of death.
On the morning of Sunday, May 25, 2014, Waupaca Police Officer Nicole Hahn was dispatched to a home on the 600 block of Elm Street.
When she arrived Hahn found a 2-year-old toddler who had no pulse and was not breathing. His lips were blue and he had vomit on his face.
While a neighbor who had been a first responder was giving the boy rescue breaths, Hahn administered CPR until an ambulance arrived.
Hahn then drove the ambulance while the two paramedics continued working on the small boy.
The paramedics were able to get the boy’s heart beating, but they were unable to get him breathing on his own.
The boy was taken first to Riverside Medical Center in Waupaca, then to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Green Bay where he died that night.
The autopsy was unable to determine the cause of death. There were no visible traumatic injuries to the body, no substances detected in the blood samples, and no viruses or pathogens detected in the lungs or spleen.
When Detective Sgt. Brian Hoelzel questioned him again on Oct. 14, Jackson admitted to holding the boy’s face down on the bed.
According to the criminal complaint, Jackson told Hoelzel that his stepson had been screaming and he had tried to calm
He said he laid down next to the crying boy and placed his arm over his back. He said he did not use a lot of pressure, but enough to hold him still. He then noticed that the boy was not breathing, his heart was beating quickly and his body had gone limp.
Jackson said he then walked out of the room, hoping the boy would be OK and start breathing again. By the time Jackson returned, the boy’s lips had turned blue.
Jackson was also sentenced to 10 years of extended supervision following his release from prison.