Robert Smith sentenced to eight years for killing infant son

By D.C. Witness Staff - April 8, 2016
Court | Homicides | Suspects |

Robert Smith Sr., the man who admitted to squeezing his five-month-old son to death, was sentenced to eight years in prison Friday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Smith had entered a guilty plea of voluntary manslaughter in exchange for a maximum 30-year sentence.

According to his charging documents, Smith admitted to squeezing his baby, Robert Smith Jr., on multiple occasions inside his Petworth home.

Smith Sr. initially denied causing his son’s death, but later told police “I did it,” according to the documents. He told the detective that he squeezed the child to stop him from crying and that he had done this multiple times before.

“Like you squeeze a roll of toothpaste,” Smith Sr. said.