Milwaukee, WI – A 22-year-old man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to abusive conduct that left his infant son critically injured. Jalin A. White’s actions stemmed from frustration while playing a basketball video game.
In a plea agreement, White admitted to physically abusing his 8-month-old son and neglecting him, resulting in great bodily harm. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Anderson M. Gansner accepted the plea and sentenced him to serve 12 years with seven years of probation.
The incident occurred on November 5. White was watching his son alone in a rented room while the child’s mother left to run an errand.
When she returned, the mother found the infant, identified as JW in court documents, in distress. The child was barely breathing, with visible signs of injury, prompting the mother to seek immediate medical assistance.
Upon arrival at a nearby hospital, the child was diagnosed with skull fractures and multiple broken ribs along with other serious injuries. Medical staff performed CPR to revive JW after he lost his pulse.
During police interviews, White provided inconsistent versions of how the boy sustained his injuries. Ultimately, he admitted to throwing JW against the wall in a moment of frustration related to the video game NBA2K.
He claimed that while holding the boy, he became frustrated with the game’s outcome and hurled the child toward the wall. White noted the impact was so severe that he repeatedly emphasized how hard the child hit the wall.
In his final court appearance, he received a nine-year sentence for the physical abuse charge and a three-year sentence for neglecting the child. He was credited with 419 days spent in pretrial detention.
White will also be required to complete post-incarceration programs and treatment. He is prohibited from using corporal punishment on any child in his care.
