WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn. — The father of a 3-month-old is charged with murder after his son died in late March from injuries believed to be caused by child abuse.
Mark Forster, 39, is charged with second-degree murder without intent after his infant child died nearly two months after being hospitalized. According to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, the 3-month-old died from "complications due to blunt force head trauma."
Prosecutors say Forster told police he had "half of a fifth" of hard liquor after returning home from work around 1 a.m. on Jan. 31. The mother of the infant told officials that Forster took the baby to the living room around 2:30 a.m., and then she went back to sleep. The complaint said the mother woke up around 6 a.m. to get ready for work and get her daughter ready for school. She said she left around 7 a.m., and that the baby was with Forster until she returned home from work at 1:30 p.m.
According to the criminal complaint, Forster had about five alcoholic drinks, which he said was more than typical. Forster told officials he was dealing with work stress, and when he returned home "kinda delved into liquor a little bit," the complaint says. He also admitted to smoking marijuana when he got home.
Forster told investigators he remembered waking up at 6 a.m. to feed the baby, who was 8 weeks old at the time, adding the infant was "fine, fussy, whatever." Forster said he put the baby in his swing, and the infant slept until around 10 a.m. He said the baby was "just a little bit fussy," but fell back asleep after eating. At one point, they moved to the bed, although Forster told investigators he didn't remember doing so.
The infant's mother said the baby was sleeping with Forster when she returned home. Later that evening, the infant was "tensed up" and crying a "different cry." At one point, the baby's face began twitching and his mother also noticed a spasm in one of his legs. The mother called a nurse line and was instructed to take the baby to the emergency room. The baby died on March 22.
In a follow-up interview with investigators, Forster said he had anxiety and "may have harmed his child because of a memory lapse," the criminal complaint says. He told investigators he was worried he may have dropped or sat on the child. He also told officials he struggled with alcohol for many years and admitted to blacking out a lot when he was younger.
Child abuse specialists at the Center for Safe and Healthy Children reported that the injuries to the infant were "highly consistent with abusive head trauma," according to the complaint.
