On March 29, Eric Richard Boudreau, 32, was arrested in Washington State in connection with the alleged murder of a 13-month-old babysitter’s child. In a tweet about the arrest, the Lacey Police Department posted a photo of the suspect in handcuffs with his hands behind his back.
Boudreau said the child had been hurt after falling down some stairs, according to the affidavit of probable cause, which states that on November 11, 2022, at around 2 p.m., emergency services received a call from a residence on Campus Glen Drive Northeast. Boudreau, his babysitter, is said to have fallen asleep.
As soon as they arrived, the infant was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital by emergency personnel. Medical personnel were able to find a heartbeat after 16 rounds of CPR. He was then brought to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center, where he tragically passed away.
The autopsy revealed that the child had suffered blunt force trauma to the head, which led to the conclusion that the death was a homicide. Police came to the conclusion that the baby did not fall down the carpeted stairs, as there “wasn’t a square inch” of the child’s body that was unbruised.
One first responder said it was the worst injury he had ever seen in his 17 years as a medic.
The boy’s mother claimed that the daycare was closed and she had to leave for work. She left Boudreau in charge of the child. She didn’t think he was capable of carrying out such a heinous deed. When the boy was crying that morning, the boy’s father, who lived in the same building, heard Boudreau telling him to “shut-up.” However, the father decided to do nothing about it and left for work.
Further investigation revealed that the suspect had smoked marijuana and consumed alcohol the night before, but he still believed he was okay to watch the boy in spite of his condition. He claims to have dozed off and called the boy’s mother after noticing the boy had fallen down the stairs.
Following his arrest, Boudreau was given a second-degree murder charge. He showed up for his preliminary hearing in Thurston County Superior Court on Friday. He is currently being held without bond in the county jail.