Washington Babysitter Arrested After Beating Friend’s 1-Year-Old Child to Death
(Photo : NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP via Getty Images)
A Washington babysitter was ordered held without bond following his arrest for the death of his friend's 13-month-old child.
(not the actual photo)
  • Washington babysitter beats friend's 1-year-old child to death
  • The police detained Eric Richard Boudreau on one count of second-degree murder
  • The victim's mom don't believe the babysitter would hurt her child

In Washington state, a 32-year-old man has been detained in connection with the 13-month-old boy's death who was reportedly beaten to death while in his care late last year.

Last week, Eric Richard Boudreau was arrested and charged with one count of second-degree murder concerning the toddler's passing. 

Washington Babysitter Beats Toddler to Death

According to a Wednesday tweet from the Lacey Police Department (LPD), "Today, after a lengthy and comprehensive investigation, and with the assistance of our Community Resource Unit and Patrol, our Detectives apprehended the suspect in a homicide of a 13-month-old from late last year."

A picture of Boudreau being arrested by police while having his hands tied behind his back was posted along with the report. Around 30 miles southwest of Tacoma is where you'll find Lacey.

An affidavit of probable cause obtained by The Olympian states that on November 11, 2022, at around 1:44 p.m., LPD officers and firemen responded to a 911 call to a house in the 9000 block of Campus Glen Road Northeast for an injured child. The toddler was said to have fallen the steps as his babysitter, Boudreau, who was later identified, slept off.

First responders contacted the toddler and transported him to Providence St. Peter Hospital once they arrived on the scene. Officials allegedly stated that after doing 16 rounds of CPR, doctors could detect the victim's heartbeat.

The victim was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle due to the seriousness of his wounds, where he was later declared dead. 

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Autopsy Reveals Victim's Brutal Cause of Death

The Olympian stated that the King County Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy and ruled that blunt-force injuries to the skull caused the toddler's homicidal murder. According to reports, detectives assigned to the case interrogated the first responders and obtained distressing information about the victim's health.

The Olympian stated that many paramedics who evaluated the child informed authorities that his injuries were "inconsistent with sliding down the steps." According to one physician, not a single inch of the infant's body lacked visible bruises. A second medic informed investigators that the child's injuries were the worst they had seen in their 17 years of service.

The victim's mother allegedly informed authorities that she shared a home with Boudreau and another mother who had two children of her own. The mother stated that she left her child in Boudreau's care since his daycare was closed and she had to work.

The victim's mother and the other lady told police that they did not believe Boudreau would harm their children. The victim's father, who lived downstairs from the mother, allegedly told authorities that he heard Boudreau order the child to "shut up" earlier that morning, which made him "uneasy," but he had to go to work for fear of being fired.

Boudreau allegedly told detectives that his band had performed the night before and had had many beers and smoked marijuana, but he thought he was fit to watch the child the next day. He is accused of falling asleep with the child and waking up to see the victim wounded at the bottom of the steps.

He then phoned the child's mother and informed her of the fall. Afterward, the mother dialed 911. The Olympian said that at a hearing on Friday, Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Cailen Cecil successfully argued that Boudreau should be kept without bond due to the victim's "severe and many" injuries.

According to reports, Judge John Skinder determined that releasing Boudreau would threaten the public.

"The quantity and intensity of force that would have been required against a little kid, based on the claims, are such that I am concerned about a considerable risk to the community," Skinder stated, as per Law and Crime.

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