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Teen sentenced for shaking 2-month-old son to death

missael valadez shaken baby death
Posted at 5:31 PM, Mar 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-08 19:53:28-05

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) -- — A grandmother is left grieving and wishing more could’ve been done to stop the father of her grandson from shaking him to death.

2-month-old Sebastian Valadez is described as a sweet, happy, healthy baby but that changed at the hands of his father in August 2017.

On Friday, his father Missael Valadez, 19, is sentenced to 20-to-32 years in prison for shaking his son to death in Douglas County District Court. With “Goodtime” he’ll be eligible for parole in 10 years and has a mandatory release date in 16 years.

“I loved him very much he was my first grandson, and I'm going to miss him,” Mardi Rawlings, Sebastian’s grandmother explained. "His family was in the house, so I wish he could've asked for help and called 911 himself because that didn't happen. He called my daughter first."

The Child Saving Institute says being a parent isn't easy at any age but can be more stressful for teens, and they may not realize how things impact them long term.

Prevention Services Supervisor Ramey Stillman suggests young parents should have a plan for who will take care, change, and feed the child to reduce stress. Also ask others if they can help from time to time. She says if you’re overwhelmed with a crying infant put the baby in a crib, and step away for 5 minutes to calm yourself down.

"If you're really frustrated and so overwhelmed baby picks up on that and so when you take a break and come back 5 minutes later you have a much better chance of being able to sooth baby," Stillman explained.

The Child Saving Institute offers Teen and Young Parent Programs that are open to parents or soon to be parents 24 years old and under. They can help with language development, care, and behaviors. The program is free, and teens can contact CSI themselves.

They also have free monthly parenting workshops that are topic specific.

For more information go to: childsaving.org or call 402-553-6000 and ask for Ramey Stillman.