Llacye Faye Link, right, and her friend wipe away tears as the court hearing comes to a close.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Lewis County Superior Court Judge James Lawler gave 23-year-old Kyle J. Davison three years in prison for the events more than a year ago involving his former girlfriend’s 4-month-old baby girl, a child who is severely brain damaged.
Davison made a so-called Alford plea last month to third-degree assault of a child, in the case that was at first charged straightforwardly as a “shaken baby” case.
The two lawyers agree he acted negligently when the little girl began choking while in his care, but doctors offered conflicting medical opinions, Judge Lawler told the courtroom on Friday afternoon.
“It’s that uncertainty that led to the charges being changed to assault third,” Lawler said. “There’s just no definitive answer.”
Kyle J. Davison
Davison and the baby’s mother, Llacye Faye Link, told police he was watching her when she began choking and stopped breathing and he tried to revive the infant – by patting her back, and then he got scared and shook her – before carrying her to a neighboring apartment to get help.
It happened in Morton in October of last year. Davison is from Mineral.
Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead recommended to the judge that Davison be sentenced to five years, the longest amount possible, given the conviction. Defense attorney Sam Groberg asked he be sentenced to time served, which is already more a year.
Azlynne Faye Link, now 18 months old, has been home since August with her mother in Morton.
Azlynne Faye Link
“I think the important thing the court needs to know is the injuries are lifelong,” Halstead said. “The prognosis is not good.”
The baby’s paternal grandmother spoke to the court, saying her granddaughter couldn’t speak for herself.
“She will have a lifetime of misery,” Ruth Crear told the judge. “Please do not let this go unpunished.”
Llacye Faye Link addressed the court as well, asking Lawler to release Davison.
Groberg told the judge his medical expert found after examining all the child’s medical records that before the incident, some of the hallmarks of shaken baby syndrome were present.
“What’s important is Mr. Davison didn’t do an act to harm the child, he was trying to help the child,” Groberg said. “And maybe he didn’t do it right.”
As part of the plea deal, the two sides stipulated the baby was more seriously injured than what would normally accompany a third-degree assault.
Groberg read a lengthy statement from his client, that paralleled what the defendant told police.
“I love Azlynne and Llacye with all my heart and would do nothing to hurt either of them,” Groberg read. “If I could change what happened, trust me, I would.”
Lawler signed an order prohibiting Davison from any contact with the child for five years.
“As Mr. Groberg argues, there’s no evidence of anger, there’s no evidence of malice here,” Lawler said. “Those are the reasons I’m not going to the top of the range.”
•••
For background, read “Morton “shaken baby” case resolved with plea deal” from Sunday November 23, 2014, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
This is for all the hateful people who have left comments about the mother and her beautiful little girl ..
FYI … THE MOTHER WAS NOT OUT BUYING POT. SHE WAS GIVEN THE POT AND IT WAS FOR HIM…SHE DOES NOT DO ANY DRUGS OF ANY KIND AND DON’T YOU THINK YOU COULD KEEP YOUR SHIT MOUTHS SHUT.. NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS
ANYWAY !!
Who cares if he claims it was an accident, that child is now special needs for life, he should have been given 10 years. Atleast the tag he has heading to prison will earn him a very rude awakening. Welcome to Clallam Bay!!
Kyle is my good friend and that girl and her mom will get there’s because kyle is not one to save the the day what is the kid to do but call the lucking cops he was trying to save that little girl damit
Three years?? That’s all??? What the hell?? That’s what you get offered in lewis county when you grow pot with all your paper work in order and you follow the letter of the state law. They take everything you own that has any value to auction off with all the proceeds of the auction going to the lewis county sherriffs office and charge you with a list of felonies because they don’t care about state law because they disagree with the people and ignore the science that proves cannabis has great medicinal value yet they give this POS 3 years for basically destroying a baby FOREVER. I don’t buy that he was trying to save her life either. I’d put money that he lost control, like a little girl, and this is the result. 3 years, and that’s what passes for justice in lewis county. Hope bubba shakes this guy silly.
Richard Weed, Azlynne is pronounce Ass-Lin. Hope this help.
@ Tasha Crisham, please don’t worry about Kyle, Bubba will take good care of him. 😉
I don’t have any concrete answers to the drug problems in this nation. It is obvious what doesn’t work and it appears we practice that daily. The war on drugs, terror, racial injustice, crime etc. Why do we always have to be at WAR on something? Perhaps it sheds a little light on who we really are. There is a white house petition termed GET RID OF THE EPHEDRA OR SHUT THE FUCK UP. I don’t believe it will make any difference whatsoever. It appears to me that bad mouthing others, blaming sick people for our ills while achieving self-righteousness, is what WE are all about in America.
Richard Weed,
She probably named the kid while on weed…..lol
@Kristi—Even if pot was legal at time this happened, IT WASN’T AND ISN’T LEGAL TO GO BUY IT OFF THE STREET!! A person has
Has to buy it from a pot store..so how she got the pot was ILLEGAL—@ Tasha–Shame on you for worrying about your friend and not the innocent baby whose life he has fucked up!! YES,HE DID IT! AND ILL BE DAMN IF HE DIDNT KNOW WHAT HE WAS DOING!! BECAUSE ANYONE OVER THE AGE OF ,PROBABLY 3, KNOWS ONE NEVER SHAKES A A BABY IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE!! AND NO ITS NOT A MISTAKE ANY ONE COULD MAKE,,I WAS A YOUNG MOM ,BUT I KNEW NEVER TO SHAKE MY CHILD OR ANY CHILD!! I HAVE TO AGREE WITH MOTHER OF 3- THE MOTHER SHOULD OF FACED CHARGES ,OR AT LEAST LOST HER PARENTAL RIGHTS TO THE BABY–AND THEN BE FORCED TO HAVE HER TUBES TIED
Can someone please tell me how to pronounce the name Azlynne? They way people nowadays name their kids plus the way they spell their name is mind boggling. What’s wrong with names like Bob,Mary,Bill,Jill,etc.,hell,even Dick is a classic name. Merry Christmas!
I know my facts and no it wasnt legal at that time, and the mother already knew the baby already had choking problems. She should be punished and had to do something. And no it wasnt just for him she does it to. Also he didnt have experiment with little ones he didn’t know. He was trying to save her life. Yea he shook her which was horrible ,Shes a beautiful baby girl but she should of defended him some how knowing it was her fault to in some way.
This young adult will now have 3 years to think on what he did,,that’s all,and yet that baby has a lifetime of medical needs! Wow,doesn’t seem fair…@mother of three- I understand what ur saying, and I bet CPS is involved in the moms life
I live in mineral and Ive seen Kyle, his house is known for drugs and him and his mother scream at eachother down the streets and all around. When people move into mineral you have to warn them about Kyle because he is trouble. I feel so terrible for this little girl. What kind of mother would leave her beautiful child with such a man. That is neglect. Ill be praying for azlynne.
Mother of three get your facts straight. First pot was legal at the time. And second the pot was for the scum bag. Everyone makes mistakes. No one will know what happened exactly except Kyle. I personally think he is getting off easy. And yea maybe the mother did need some more punishment. But she has to live with the rest of her life knowing that her little girl will not be anything close to what she was.
Just like always , the first line of any child’s defense , the mother,who was out buying drugs gets off scott free. This is getting to be a very familiar story, and as always the child pays the price.
This was such a bad situation , but neither of them should be in trouble this was a mistake anyone could make and this is a reason they should start teaching kids CPR of an infant in schools being a new mother i could see how his reaction was not completely wrong and if you thing about it if Kyle J. Davison was not there that little girl would have died but nobody takes that into consideration 🙁 i just cannot wait to get my best friend home and out of somewhere he should not be!!!
I agree mother of three.
Why should he be cut any slack, a drunk driver isn’t when they injure someone and they have an intoxicating substance in them!
This is a tough one.
That is Bs, the mother should be on trial also for buying pot which was ILLEGAL at the time, for leaving her child to go get HIGH. I see an very unfit mother.