California man sentenced to prison after Plymouth County 2-year-old dies from extreme hemorrhaging, brain swelling

A California man has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to charges involving the death of a two-year-old Massachusetts toddler, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced.

Tuesday, as jury selection was scheduled to begin for the trial of defendant, 28-year-old Timy Jo Griffin of Long Beach, California, he pleaded guilty to one count of Involuntary Manslaughter. Brockton Superior Court Judge Sullivan sentenced Griffin to serve 10 years to 10 years and one day in State Prison.

On December 5, 2016, just before 7:00 p.m., Brockton Police received a 911 call for an unresponsive two-year-old toddler at 23 East Main Street in Brockton. Brockton Police and Fire responded and transported the toddler to Brockton Hospital. The toddler was later medflighted to Massachusetts General Hospital for treatment, where he died three days later as a result of his injuries. The boy was identified as Nazeir Phillips.

Brockton Police contacted State Police Detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office to begin the investigation. Investigators conducted multiple interviews of Griffin, who was an acquaintance of the mother of the victim and was taking care of the toddler at the time he suffered the severe head trauma. Griffin reported that the boy had a tantrum, fell off of his toddler bed and struck his head, which rendered him unresponsive.

As part of their extensive investigation, detectives interviewed numerous physicians that treated the two-year-old toddler as well as consulting with an outside expert. All stated that the young child’s injuries, namely extreme retinal hemorrhaging and uncontrollable swelling to his brain, were likely the result of violent shaking and/or slamming of the young child.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Jeremy Beth Kusmin and Barbara Isola, and was investigated by State Police Detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office and Brockton Police.