|
By Patrick Tepoorten
 Jason James Nordin, 23, of North Branch, was found guilty of second degree murder on April 23, for his actions on Aug. 16, 2006 that resulted in the death of his son, three-month-old Joshua.
Pictured: Jason Nordin
Nordin, who waived his right to a jury trial, was pronounced guilty of the murder charge and a first degree assault charge stemming from an earlier incident, by Tenth District Court judge John R. McBride. Nordin was acquitted on a third degree assault charge that stemmed from the earlier incident.
The case was prosecuted by William Klump and Matthew Frank of the State Attorney General’s Office, and the trial included almost two full weeks of testimony from medical experts and law enforcement personnel, according to Chisago County Attorney Janet Reiter.
In a press release, Reiter added, “The medical evidence, together with Nordin’s admission to investigators that he shook the infant, persuaded the court to conclude that Nordin had intentionally inflicted harm on the child via the ‘profoundly dangerous, negligent behavior’ of shaking the infant, which Nordin admitted he knew would result in harm.”
Nordin was charged in the murder of his son following an investigation by the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office, the North Branch Police Department, the state Attorney General’s Office, and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
North Branch police officers were first on the scene in August of 2006, and found an unresponsive Joshua Nordin. He was rushed to the Childrens Hospital in St. Paul, where he was stabilized. Further examination by doctors revealed that the child had critical injuries related to “shaken baby syndrome” and evidence of past injuries associated with abuse.
The injuries proved too severe and Joshua Nordin was taken off life support systems and died on Aug. 19.
In interviews conducted by investigators, Jason Nordin initially denied that he had done anything wrong. But, faced with autopsy reports and conflicting stories, Nordin admitted shaking his son violently on Aug. 16. In subsequent interviews, Nordin would also admit to previous incidents of abuse.
Nordin’s sentencing is scheduled for July 21. According to Reiter, he faces a minimum of 12 years on the second degree unintentional murder charge, unless McBride decides to depart from the sentencing guidelines. If so, he could depart upward or downward, and the maximum for the charge is 18 years.
Reiter also said it is likely that the sentence for the assault conviction would run concurrent to the murder sentence.
 |
