Dad who broke toddler’s spine because he was crying pleads guilty to first-degree manslaughter
02/23/2026 8:30 pm PST
JAMESTOWN, N.Y. (TCN) -- A man unexpectedly pleaded guilty at a pretrial conference to first-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of his son in 2024. The trial was then canceled.
The Post-Journal reports that jury selection for the trial of Matthew Nuttall, 27, had been scheduled to begin Feb. 24 on charges of first- and second-degree manslaughter handed down by a grand jury in June 2024.
An investigation began on April 15, 2024, when police were notified of a suspicious death at a home a few days earlier, according to Law & Crime. Detectives learned that 16-month-old Isaac Benton had died of blunt force trauma caused by his father, Nuttall, and arrested him.
According to the Post-Journal, Nuttall was frustrated with Benton’s crying and threw him into a portable crib, severing the child’s spinal cord and leading to his death.
In a statement, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said, “These are the cases that hit the hardest. Isaac, only 16 months old, slammed onto a Pack ‘n Play with such force that his spinal column came out in pieces during the autopsy.”
Nuttall is scheduled to be sentenced on April 20. According to the Post-Journal, first-degree manslaughter is punishable in New York state by between five and 25 years in state prison, followed by post-release supervision.
Schmidt said, “These are the cases which keep all of us up at night for days without end.”
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