Chichiltah man pleads guilty to child abuse

ALBUQUERQUE

Julian King, 31,of Chichiltah, New Mexico, was sentenced to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a federal child abuse charge.

In entering the guilty plea, King admitted that between March 12, 2011, and April 6, 2011, he abused a seven-month old girl by striking her on the head and causing her head to strike a wall.

King further admitted that the instances of abuse were intentional and with enough force to cause injury to the child.

Originally, he claimed that he and his wife, Jessica Yazzie, woke up one morning in April 2011 and discovered their seven-month-old baby girl not breathing.

The baby had spent the night in bed with both parents.

King drove her to the hospital while Yazzie performed CPR. They had called 911 and met EMTs halfway but it was too late to save the child’s life.

The family blamed the death on sudden infant death syndrome and a later autopsy – while not conclusive – did point to several signs that could have contributed to SID.

However, prosecutors alleged child abuse because of injuries found on the baby’s head.

In a sentencing memorandum, King’s federal public defender, James Loonam, pointed out that King had not been able to find steady work, having been employed for eight months during the past decade.

“He and Jessica appear to have fallen into a pattern of severe alcohol abuse to the point of selling their blood to purchase alcohol, a practice all too common in Indian Country,” he said.

Loonam added that since the baby’s death, King had made efforts to change his life.

While residing at La Pasada on pre-trial release, he participated in substance abuse treatment, which showed that he suffered from major depression disorder and alcohol use disorder.

He is currently sober, said Loonam, but “still has difficulty discussing the death of his child six years later.”

“His dual demons of alcohol and depression drove his behavior and are responsible for his actions against his child,” Loonam said.

---