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Lawrence Man Charged With Killing Infant Son

LAWRENCE (CBS/AP) - Alexis Medina, 23, was being held on assault and battery charges, but on Tuesday, the charge was upgraded to murder because his 4-month-old son, Alex, died.

Initially prosecutors thought Alex's cause of death was Shaken Baby Syndrome, but today officials said Medina suffocated his son by holding his face in a pillow on Dec. 29 while trying to get him to stop crying and fall asleep.

An autopsy determined the boy also had 11 broken ribs.

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WBZ News Radio's Carl Stevens reports.

"(Alexis) described himself as stressed and angry to the troopers and that he ultimately took out that anger – the Commonwealth would say very intentionally – on his 4-month-old son, and he killed him," said prosecutor Kate McDougal.

Medina's attorney said the evidence will prove his client did not kill his son, and he believes Medina is being pre-judged because he served 18 months in jail for fracturing the skull of his 18-month-old daughter in 2008. He was ordered in that case to take anger management and parenting classes.

Today, Medina was ordered held without bail.

WBZ News Radio's Carl Stevens contributed to this report.

(TM and © Copyright 2010 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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