A parolee who was accused of trying to kill his then-8-month-old son in a vacant Los Angeles apartment in 2019 pleaded no contest Monday to child endangerment was immediately sentenced to nine years in state prison.
After he serves his California prison time, Michael Freeman, 34, of Nashville, Tennessee, will have to return to that state to face possible additional custody time for violating the terms of his release in a drug case, according to Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami. In addition to the no-contest plea to child endangerment, Freeman also admitted an allegation of causing great bodily injury.
A judge also issued a 10-year protective order preventing contact with his now-4-year-old son, who has fully recovered.
According to prosecutors, Freeman forcibly took his son from the baby’s mother following an argument in April 2019, ran to an unoccupied room of an apartment in the 800 block of South Hill Street and punched him. The infant’s injuries were also consistent with attempted strangulation and attempted drowning, Hatami said at the time.
Police allegedly found Freeman beating the baby and had to use a Taser to subdue and arrest him.
Freeman was originally charged with attempted murder and child abuse.
At the time of his arrest, Freeman was on parole and supervised release in Tennessee following his conviction in a federal drug case.