Physicians and paramedics who worked to save a toddler’s life May 1, 2019, testified three years later, on Tuesday, May 10, they had never seen such a severe head injury caused by a child’s fall to the ground.
In the second day of Charles Michael Sconyers’ trial in Columbia County Superior Court, medical personnel told the jury of the catastrophic injury 23-month-old Lincoln Davitte suffered.
Sconyers, 34, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and cruelty to children in Lincoln’s death.
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Tuesday, defense attorney Keith Johnson questioned the professional witnesses about the possibility of Lincoln’s massive head trauma being the result of two injuries. Lincoln’s mother, who is now engaged to Sconyers, testified Monday that Lincoln fell from his highchair while at her mother’s house April 29, 2019.
Dr. Alexander Post, the pediatric neurosurgery doctor at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia who operated on Lincoln, testified, however, anyone suffering a skull fracture will show signs of injury. Breaking any bone is painful, and that includes the skull, he said.
Lincoln’s fracture wasn’t a simple short line. The fracture extended from the top to bottom and around both sides of the toddler’s skull. Dr. Walter Pipkin, co-medical director of the Children’s Hospital of Georgia, testified he’s seen many cases of people who have dropped babies while standing and babies who fell from grocery carts, and the damage was not even close to that suffered by Lincoln.
Sconyers picked up Lincoln from his day care just after 6 p.m. May 1, 2019. He called 911 at 6:36 p.m., saying Lincoln must have fallen and was unresponsive.
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Kristi Marsh testified Tuesday that she was a Gold Cross paramedic who responded to the 911 call. She was suspicious of Sconyers and didn’t approve of the decision to allow him to ride with Lincoln in the ambulance.
The physical symptoms she saw indicated Lincoln had suffered a very serious head injury and Sconyers’ account of Lincoln’s trip and fall didn’t explain it. That combined with the new and old bruises she saw on Lincoln’s body and Sconyers’ fixation on Lincoln had to be OK so it wouldn’t be his fault didn’t add up, Marsh said.
Lincoln was pronounced dead May 4, 2019.
Sconyers’ trial continues Wednesday.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.
