Kansas Citian charged with killing baby son

Kansas City, Mo. A man has been charged with second-degree murder and child abuse in the death of his 7-month-old son.

Aaron P. Howard, 23, also was charged with endangering the welfare of a child. An innocent plea was entered for Howard during his arraignment Monday in Jackson County Court

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 6.

The child, Lee Aarion, was not breathing Saturday night when police went to Howard’s house. An autopsy showed he suffered hemorrhaging in both eyes and trauma to the right side of his head.

According to a police report, Howard told police he was alone with three children all day Saturday and became frustrated because the boy would not quit crying. He said he put a large pillow over the boy’s head and left him alone. When he returned later, he found the child not breathing, according to the report.

Murderer gets life for killing witness

Kansas City, Mo. A Kansas City man has been sentenced to life in prison for strangling a woman after he cut the electronic device used to monitor him while he was out on bond for robbing the woman’s home.

Michael Farris, 47, could have received the death penalty in the capital murder case. Jackson County jurors, instead, recommended life without parole Friday. The same jury convicted Farris Wednesday of first-degree murder, assault and armed criminal action in the September 1999 killing of Sophia Szymczak, 76.

Prosecutors said Farris burglarized Szymczak’s home in May of 1998. After he was ordered to stand trial, he returned to her home and strangled her.