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Father pleads guilty to killing infant who died from punch By Chris Bristol A Medford man accused of causing the death of his 6-month-old son by punching him in the back of the head for crying will spend the next 25 years behind bars. Frederick Lee Pyke, 22, pleaded guilty to a charge of felony murder Friday. Pyke was scheduled to go on trial next week on multiple charges of murder in the death of his infant son, Christopher. "He�s not getting the benefit of less time" for pleading guilty, defense attorney Bob Abel told Jackson County trial judge Ray White. "He�s aware of that and wants to proceed anyway." White accepted the plea without comment but postponed judgment pending a pre-sentence investigation. A sentencing date has not been set. Under Measure 11, a sentence of 25 years without parole for murder is mandatory. In the meantime, Pyke remains lodged in jail without bail. Prosecutor Judi Harper told the court the baby�s mother, 18-year-old Ramona Kenton, was trying to calm the child�s crying early on the morning of April 18 when Pyke angrily struck the child in the back of the head with his fist. The blow caused a massive, spiraling fracture to the baby�s skull. The baby died the next day at Doernbecher Children�s Hospital in Portland. Harper said Pyke initially lied to suspicious doctors and police about the cause of the baby�s injury, claiming he tripped over the child on the floor. He confessed only after Kenton told detectives what really happened. Pyke was arrested immediately on charges of assault and criminal mistreatment. A grand jury then issued upgraded charges of murder-by-abuse (two counts) and felony murder after an autopsy revealed evidence of prior injuries, including broken ribs and bruising to the baby�s chest, legs and head. Each count represented a different theory of the same crime. Murder-by-abuse alleges a pattern of abuse. Felony murder alleges homicide in the course of another felony crime, in this case second-degree assault. Pyke could have been charged with the lesser crime of manslaughter, but prosecutors said his alleged history of abusing the baby and Kenton�s 2-year-old daughter from a previous relationship justified more. In the aftermath, state social workers placed Kenton�s daughter, Jasmine, in temporary foster care. Kenton was pregnant at the time and has since given birth again. That baby, fathered by Pyke, also was placed in foster care, Harper said. A spokeswoman for the Medford branch of Services to Children and Families did not return a phone call Friday seeking an update of the status of Kenton�s children. In court Friday, Abel said his client pleaded guilty to spare the Kenton family the anguish of trial. Nobody from the family attended the hearing. Whatever his motive, Harper said Pyke�s confession should not be misconstrued as a lenient plea bargain. "He would have gotten the same amount of time if he was convicted of all three charges, so the plea was appropriate," she said. "The state had a very strong case, and we were ready for trial." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.