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MIDVALE — A Midvale man accused of severely abusing a 6-month-old child was charged Monday with trying to kill the infant. The baby's mother was charged with not reporting the alleged abuse.
Juan Manuel Duran, Jr., 44, was charged in 3rd District Court with attempted aggravated murder and aggravated sexual abuse of a child, first-degree felonies, in addition to five counts of child abuse, a second-degree felony.
Duran was arrested July 13 at the apartment where he was living with Jade Olson, 7923 S. Main, after she told police she caught him trying to suffocate her 6-month-old son with a towel. Prior to officers arriving, Duran made comments about the baby such as he "wished he (the baby) was dead," and that he should "just throw him out the (expletive) window," according to charging documents.
When the infant was taken to the hospital, doctors discovered the child had many other injuries consistent with being abused, including "many externally visible marks and bruises on various locations of his body," five bruises across his forehead "apparently from inflicted blows to his head," multiple "inflicted bite marks" on his neck, fractured ribs, a fractured arm, and bruising near his scrotum, according to the charges.
"(The infant) could easily have been killed and was at extreme risk of death or disability from the actions of an adult caregiver," the doctor told prosecutors.
Olsen admitted to investigators that she was "aware of (Duran) abusing (her child) for the last few months and has not reported it. She stated she was in fear for her own well being and so she never reported any of (the boy's) injuries or did anything about it," charging documents state.
Because prosecutors said she was aware of the abuse but did nothing about it, they charged Olsen with intentional child abuse, a second-degree felony.
