Brewer man sentenced to over 8 years for death infant son

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - A Brewer man convicted in the 2021 death of his infant son will spend eight and a half years behind bars.

Ronald Harding, 38, who was found guilty of manslaughter in March, was sentenced on Tuesday.

Authorities say an autopsy showed 6-week-old Jaden Harding died from injuries consistent with violent shaking while in Harding’s care.

Prosecutors say jail terms like this make a statement in these types of cases.

“We have been advocating for higher sentences in these cases because we believe they’re serious that we need to send a message to parents, adults and other caregivers that it is never, never permissible to shake a baby because of these tragic consequences. And, in this case, we believe that’s a serious, significant sanction. And we believe that is it is in line with the other sentences that we’ve seen historically, in these infant death cases,” said Assistant Attorney General Leanne Robbin.

Harding will also serve six years probation after his jail term.

Copyright 2023 WABI. All rights reserved.