Burbank man gets 24 years in prison for 2012 death of infant daughter
A Burbank man will spend 24 years in prison for the 2012 shaking death of his 5-week-old daughter.
Matthew Wojcik, 25, received the sentence earlier this month after pleading no contest to three counts of child abuse and admitting to allegations of inflicting great bodily injury.
Authorities said his daughter, Violet, was taken to a local hospital on Oct. 23, 2012, after sustaining multiple broken bones and head injuries. Police suspected child abuse was involved in the injuries and took Wojcik into custody shortly after Violet was hospitalized.
During a 2014 preliminary hearing, Burbank Police Det. Celia Hawver testified that Wojcik admitted while in custody to shaking the baby multiple times.
He told Hawver he “lost control” and was frustrated the baby wouldn’t stop crying or fall asleep. She testified Wojcik used a teddy bear to demonstrate to police how he shook Violet.
Hawver also testified that Wojcik initially denied knowing how his child became injured when he was arrested.
Violet died several weeks later on Nov. 9, 2012, after being taken off of life support.
Her mother, Elizabeth Carter, was then taken into custody after her death — nearly a month after Wojcik’s arrest.
Carter and Wojcik had been living together in Burbank at the time of the incident, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Carter pleaded no contest in 2014 to felony child endangerment and received four years of probation.
Twitter: @Andy_Truc
