Austin Kinsey was sentenced to 16 years in prison Monday for the neglect death of his week-old son, who was fatally mauled by the family’s dog in their squalid Indiana home.
The newborn, Jason Anthony Weaver, suffered at least 180 bites from Chomp, a 5-year-old husky-pit bull mix, along with brain hemorrhages, rib fractures and torn lungs during the September attack in rural Markle, about 25 miles southwest of Fort Wayne. Kinsey, the baby’s father, had originally faced two neglect counts and one count of harboring a non-immunized dog that caused injury, but the highest-level neglect charge was dropped as part of his plea agreement.
Kinsey told police he had been playing video games in the same room where the newborn was and left only briefly to speak with other family members, according to a police report obtained by WPTA. The baby’s grandfather, Timothy Kinsey, then heard noises and discovered the dog dragging the infant around the room. Officers who responded attempted CPR but could not save the child.
“There was so much trash and debris, officers could barely walk through the home,” one officer wrote in the report.
The home was ultimately condemned as unfit for human habitation. Court documents describe a property overflowing with bugs, trash, dirty dishes and dirty clothes, with investigators noting bugs even on the baby’s car seat. Responding officers reported a “strong odor of animal, trash, and dirt everywhere.”
Family members described Chomp as gentle with the week-old baby but acknowledged the dog could be jealous and had shown aggression toward other animals, according to court documents. The dog had bitten people before, and one family member said they kept a gun in the house specifically in case the dog acted up.
Violet Weaver, the child’s mother, is scheduled for a change of plea hearing later this month. The cases remain active for grandparents Timothy Kinsey and Rita Wickey, as well as for Michael Wickey and the baby’s uncle, Tony Kinsey, all of whom were also charged in connection with the death. The entire family was ordered to vacate the home after authorities declared it unfit to live in.