Florida man suffocates baby while sleeping. Should he have been arrested?
By spalladino
@spalladino (17891)
United States
July 11, 2008 10:14pm CST
The following tragic accident could have been avoided but do you agree that this father should have been charged?
LEHIGH ACRES, Fla.- A Lehigh Acres man has been charged with manslaughter in the suffocation of his infant son.
When deputies arrived on scene of the man's Lehigh Acres home at 6:45am Friday, EMS workers were trying to revive the baby.
The County Sheriff's Office says 28 year old Julio Gonzalez told deputies he could not wake up his two month son.
An investigation revealed Julio Gonzalez had been drinking with friends until about 1am on Friday, July 11th while his brother cared for the baby.
At 3am, Gonzalez told investigators he took the child from his brother's room and into his room to feed the baby and then laid him in bed next to him.
He later discovered he had fallen asleep on top of the child.
Gonzalez is facing one count of manslaughter.
9 people like this
20 responses
@xsquid (111)
• Indonesia
12 Jul 08
wow, what a terrible accident. I think the man is not to be blame, he is just being careless, accident do happen you know. Only God know this kind of things happen, and if you think it is the father's fault, why don't you think where is the baby mother? And also consider the feeling of this poor man, he just lose his baby, now you want to charge him for manslaughter... oh come on.
it's just accident, and a very tragic one. Poor man, God bless him.
3 people like this
@foxyfire33 (10005)
• United States
12 Jul 08
Please don't place blame on the mother without knowing the situation. Courts will award visitation to just about anybody. She and the father doubtfully live together...since she wasn't mentioned...so she would have little control over the actions of the father. The only thing that she did wrong as far as we know was to at one time sleep with a man who would be stupid enough to get drunk and fall asleep on his baby.
2 people like this
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
12 Jul 08
Drinking or not babies do die this way. Babies belong in cribs not in bed with mom and dad.
It isn't manslaughter it is a tragic and avoidable accident. I don't see these charges sticking.
2 people like this
@creative_genius (992)
•
12 Jul 08
I canot believe how careless he has been. I guess he should be arrested to make sure tat noone else is ever that stupid. His real punishment is the fact that he has to live with his actions, I bet he regrets it immensely. He must have cared for the baby to go straight to him once home. This doesn't excuse his actions and the fact that the whole thing should never have happened.
2 people like this
@sherlock27 (913)
• United States
12 Jul 08
Didn't the child have a crib? Where was the mother? I think the man should be arrested. Why was the child in the brother's room instead of a crib. Most people that babysit keep the child in their little bed. The father, if you want to call him a father should be ashamed of himself and deserves any punishment he hopefully gets.
2 people like this
@aimseeker (112)
• Pakistan
12 Jul 08
well man at first i thought that the father shouldn't b charged....coz its just an incident ...but when i read ur description ..... its changed my thoughts....hes been drunk ....so its deserving if they have charged him with man slaughtered..thats what hes meant for ....the child he paid for what his father did....
2 people like this
@babystar1 (4233)
• United States
12 Jul 08
This is really stupid for him to leave the baby in bed with him.I know he was drunk but how can a drunk man take care of a baby. Where was the mother at.
1 person likes this
@k1tten (2318)
• United States
12 Jul 08
This is just sad really. I don't care who you are or how much you think you can hold your drink, you shouldn't be taking care of a child when there is that much drinking in the home. This could have been prevented if people just had some sense about them.
2 people like this
@twallace (2675)
• United States
12 Jul 08
This is something that I would not have wished on anyone. I know the father is out of his mind about what happened. He was drinking and lost his son. That is really sad. I can see how they charged him, maybe if he was not drinking they might have looked at it differently. But right now there is not telling what will happen with this case. I know that he's hurting in the worst way right now. Should the charge him? I can't really say, cause something like this could have happened to anyone.
2 people like this
@ersmommy1 (12588)
• United States
16 Jul 08
How truly awful. This is so sad. I cannot imagine this. Of course, drinking while in charge of a child is certainly engaging in irresponsible behavior. It doesn't seem to be pre-meditated from what I have read. Manslaughter I believe is the appropriate charge.
@Elixiress (3878)
•
12 Jul 08
I am not sure. By law it is manslaughter as he did not plan to do it, but the child did die. However there was no intent there at all, not even momentary and for that reason I do not think that it is fair for him to get charged of manslaughter as it could seriously damage his future.
He gets out of prison, applies for job:
Employer: "Have you a criminal record"
Him: "Yes"
Employer: "What?"
Him: "Manslaughter"
Employer: "Hmm :O"
Him: "No nothing like that, I accidentally rolled on my child in my sleep"
Employer: "Sorry we can not give a ex-criminal a job"
1 person likes this
@SwtJenlove (1090)
• United States
18 Jul 08
Yea, i heard something about that on the news, that is crazy 
thats why i dont drink and if i do i only drink a little bit. Poor little baby
thats why i dont drink and if i do i only drink a little bit. Poor little baby
@mscott (1923)
• United States
12 Jul 08
What a tragic story. The man will have to live with this the rest of his life, can you imagine? Some people just use no common sense, you don't go drinking and then plan on taking care of your child, or trying. If he really needed to drink then he should have been no where around that kid. Accidents, if you call this that, like falling asleep on the baby happen a lot. However, this one seems like it could have been avoided. We had a family near us have this happen last year. Unfortunately it was the 12 year old relative that fell asleep and ended up suffocating the infant as they slept.
@RhythmWalker1 (825)
• United States
13 Jul 08
This man got a wake-up CALL, like I can't imagine.
The rest of his life will be spent with him kicking his own rear.
YES, he will be charged and should. I don't think it will come down to jail time.
But the prison inside his mind will be his forever.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
13 Jul 08
The father had been drinking and thus was not fit to care for hischild so yes he should have been charged and arrested for
manslaughter ofcourse, had he not been drunk he would not have smothered the poor baby. adults and kids thatlittle on a bed is a dangerous combo.
@bournecaindelta (2477)
• India
13 Jul 08
Poor guy. Getting booked for a very grave mistake. Well, considering the fact that he atleast cared to feed the baby shows that he loved it. But he was very irresponsible. He should have given preference to the baby rather than his friends and the booze. Even after feeding it, he should have let it sleep with his brother because in his state, he wouldn't know where he is going. It was too irresponsible of him. But I think he can be given another chance with probation. No drinks.
bourne
@WATARIKENJI (1534)
• Philippines
13 Jul 08
As a FATHER, he is responsible for the welfare of his baby. Its a sad imcident but the father should face the consequences of what happened.
I think he will accept it.
I think he will accept it. 
@tamarafireheart (15384)
•
13 Jul 08
Hello apalladino,
What a terrible tragic case, his brother should never have allowed him to take the baby with him as he was drunk and where was the baby's mother? yes he should be charge on one count of manslaughter.
Tamarafireheart.
@killdahobo99 (23)
• United States
13 Jul 08
Wow, This is such a sad thing, I don't care who you are, what you do...Drinking is such a bad thing if you have a little kid in the house you shouldnt be drinking at all. If people wernt so stupid these days they'd know. And yeah he should have been arrested THE GUY JUST KILLED A KID even if it was by accident still its because he drank and he shouldnt have been in the same bed with someone that little.
