Man who shook baby to death faces 30 years in prison in Bucks

LOWER BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. — A Bristol Borough man was sentenced Tuesday to up to three decades in a state reformatory for shaking his 4-month-old son to death, authorities said.

Tyler Sullivan, 31, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and endangering the welfare of a child before Common Pleas Judge Gary B. Gilman in May.

In addition to sentencing Sullivan to 15 to 30 years in prison, Gilman ordered him to undergo psychiatric treatment, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said.

Both the baby's mother and aunt submitted victim impact statements, which were read during Tuesday's hearing.

The mother said she was too traumatized to ever return to the apartment she shared with Sullivan and her child. She said she still has nightmares about that day.

“My baby deserves a long, happy and wonderful life,” she said.

The baby's aunt said in her victim impact statement that the baby's killing “left a hole in our hearts that can never be filled. We will miss him forever.”

Officers with the Bristol Borough Police Department were called to 1038 Radcliffe Street at 11:35 p.m. on May 24, 2023, for a report of a four-month-old child in cardiac arrest.

When officers arrived, the baby was not breathing and cold to the touch. Officers performed CPR and the baby was taken to Lower Bucks Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:01 a.m.

A doctor examined the baby and found that he had suffered multiple injuries, including bruises, hematomas, and abrasions all over his body. The doctor determined that the injuries were consistent with an abused child.

The doctor also said that the baby was already dead when he arrived at the hospital.

The investigation found that Sullivan had violently shaken the baby at least twice on May 24, 2023, and at least six more times in the six weeks prior to that.

Before the verdict was announced, Sullivan gave a long, tearful statement, admitting “how guilty and ashamed I am.”

This case was investigated by detectives from the Bucks County District Attorney's Office and the Bristol County Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Matthew Lannetti and Deputy District Attorney David O'Beirne.