Couple Convicted in Child Cruelty Case Involving 4-Week Old Baby

A Bartow County trial jury has found a local couple guilty in a child-cruelty case involving a 4-week old infant.

District Attorney Rosemary Greene said in a release the jury returned verdicts Thursday at noon, finding Irvin James Lynn and Stacey Fillmon guilty of several counts in connection with an April 26, 2012, incident involving victim Cayden Lynn. 

Lynn and Fillmon that day took the baby to the Cartersville Medical Center where a CT scan revealed that Cayden had severe brain hemorrhaging, according Assistant District Attorney Mickey Thacker. The child was flown to Scottish Rite.

Lynn said he had worked a late shift and when he arrived home, Cayden wouldn't stop crying, and he "lost it" and "shook" the infant "a couple of seconds," according to Thacker. Before Lynn and Fillmon took the child to the hospital, they took him to a local pediatrician, but failed to disclose information about the "shaking" act, which delayed treatment of the swelling and bleeding on boy's brain.

The jury found Lynn guilty of aggravated assault and cruelty to children in the second degree and not guilty of first-degree cruelty to children. It also found Fillmon guilty of cruelty to children in the second degree, but acquitted her on the charge of first-degree cruelty to children. Both Lynn and Fillmon were found not guilty of making false statements to Bartow County Sheriff's Office authorities.

Superior Court Judge Shepherd L. Howell ordered a pre-sentence investigation and set a sentencing hearing for Dec. 31.

Shelly Faulk prosecuted the case for the state, while Lynn was represented by Gerard Verzaal and Antonio Mari and Fillmon by Jason Hood, according to Greene.      

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