Alyssia Kirby-Snow of Mountain Home went on trial Tuesday in Baxter County Circuit Court facing charges stemming from the infliction of serious injuries to her then three-week old son.
A jury was seated to hear the case shortly after noon Tuesday.
The child, whose name is Alyas, was born to the 31-year-old Kirby-Snow and her now husband 20-year-old Jonathan Snow. At the time of the child’s birth in late January 2016, the couple lived together in an apartment complex along State Highway 201 North. They were later married.
Jonathan Snow was found guilty by a circuit court jury in mid-October last year and sentenced to 41 years in prison in connection with the alleged child abuse. He has filed notice he intends to appeal his conviction. Jonathan Snow is currently serving his time in the Delta Regional Unit of the state prison system at Dermott.
Alyssia Kirby-Snow faces charges of first-degree battery, permitting child abuse and endangering the welfare of a minor.
The state’s witness list for Kirby-Snow’s trial basically mirrors the one for her husband’s trial. Kirby-Snow is being represented by Ben Gibson, a Yellville attorney, and the state’s case is being presented by 14th Judicial District Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Kerry Chism.
During Jonathan Snow’s trial, the finger of blame was mainly pointed at Alyssia Kirby-Snow as the person who could be behind inflicting injuries on the baby boy. In her trial which got underway Tuesday, the finger of blame is pointing more or less directly at Jonathan Snow. The question to be decided is not whether the child was injured, but who inflicted the injuries.
In his opening statement to the jury, Chism pointed out that, by their own admission, Jonathan Snow and Alyssia Kirby-Snow were the only two people who cared for the baby and that whatever happened to the infant to bring it to the brink of death in a fairly short period of time could be laid at the doorstep of both parents.
Gibson told the jury that Alyssia Kirby Snow had trusted Jonathan Snow with the care of the infant at times and that she had “trusted the wrong person.”
Charges were filed against the couple as the result of an investigation launched in late February 2016 when the Mountain Home Police Department received a report from Arkansas Children’s Hospital where Alyas was taken after he had first been seen at Baxter Regional Medical Center. According to the report from the medical team at ACH, Alyas had suffered serious abuse.
The hospital staff said the infant — who had been listed in critical condition while in the Little Rock pediatric hospital — had lost two pounds since his birth, suffered a fracture to the right clavicle, had sustained numerous bruises, as well as bleeding and swelling of the brain and the infant was suffering seizures. In the opinion of the medical team treating the infant at ACH, there is no scenario in which a single drop or fall would result in the extensive, widespread injuries the infant suffered.
According to court records, the parents provided nothing but vague guesses as to how the infant sustained the injuries, but the medical team suspected abuse.
Dr. Karen Farst, who practices at ACH and is a specialist in the area of child abuse pediatrics, testified about her interaction with Alyas when the infant was brought to ACH. She went over the swelling and bleeding of the brain, bruising on the baby’s body, the broken collar bone, the necessity of providing nourishment through a feeding tube and the fact a ventilator had been necessary to help the baby breath. She said Alyas’ condition had been critical when he arrived at ACH.
Dr. Farst said there was no way such a small infant could have caused the injuries to himself. She referred to the injuries as “high force injuries” and testified the extensive and widespread injuries could not have been produced by a fall or by being dropped.
The physician said Alyas would never have the capacity to carry on normal activities, that his body would not develop normally. Dr. Farst said, “he will have a lifelong struggle ahead of him.”
When Alyas was first brought to Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Dr. Farst said without significant medical intervention, the infant would not have survived.
The trial will resume Wednesday morning.
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