Father Of Suffocated Oakland Baby Charged With Causing Death
OAKLAND (BCN) - An Oakland man was charged Friday with felony child abuse causing death for the suffocation death of his 4-month-old son, according to Alameda County District Attorney spokeswoman Teresa Drenick.
William Thunderhawk, 26, was scheduled for arraignment on the charge at 2 p.m. at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland.
Thunderhawk initially was charged with child abuse last week after his infant son, Wambli Thunderhawk, was hospitalized with suspicious injuries in late November. Wambli died from his injuries on Sunday.
Oakland police had sought Wednesday to have the charges upgraded to murder because an autopsy determined that he had injuries consistent with suffocation and also revealed that he had three fractured ribs, police spokeswoman Holly Joshi said.
Assistant District Attorney Norbert Chu, who filed the charges, said he didn't charge William Thunderhawk with murder because he thinks it would be difficult to convince a jury to convict him of murder.
But Chu said the charge of felony child abuse causing death carries the same state prison term of 25 years to life as does first-degree murder.
Wambli was taken to Children's Hospital Oakland on Nov. 28 from the family's apartment in the 1600 block of Sixth Avenue in Oakland, where he lived with his father, his mother, Marjorie Castaneda, 31, and a 5-year-old brother.
The next day, Oakland police began investigating the possibility that Wambli was the victim of child abuse and Thunderhawk was charged with child abuse late last week.
Wambli was pronounced dead at 2:10 a.m. on Sunday, police said.
Thunderhawk spent several days under observation at the John George Psychiatric Pavilion in San Leandro but was released on Wednesday.
Oakland police were then able to interview him.
Thunderhawk's arraignment will be in Department 112 on the sixth floor of the Wiley Manuel Courthouse, which is located at 661 Washington St. in Oakland.
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