(Anderson, SC). Christopher Don Foster pled guilty today in Anderson General Sessions Court to Child Neglect and Involuntary Manslaughter. The Honorable Brooks Goldsmith sentenced Foster to 10 years on Child Neglect and 5 years on Involuntary Manslaughter with the sentences to be served consecutively.
On June 8, 2012, 8-month old Leon Samuel Foster was at home under the care of his father, the defendant. Foster told investigators at that time that he had been feeding the child and fallen asleep. He woke up and the child had become wedged in the chair, unable to breath. The coroner, Brett Woodard, ruled the death was accidental at that time. Under SC law, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Department of Child Fatalities was contacted and the investigation continued. In February of 2013, during an interview with a SLED agent, Foster admitted to causing the death of the child and demonstrated on video how it had happened. The child had been crying for a while and Foster could not get him to stop. He pressed and held the child tightly to his chest for several minutes to stop him from crying. When he realized the child wasn’t breathing, he placed the child in his bed. When the child’s mother arrived and found the baby unresponsive, 911 was called.
“It is a parent’s sacred responsibility to care for and protect their children,” said Solicitor Chrissy Adams. “Mr. Foster clearly failed to live up to that responsibility. While nothing can bring Leon back, Judge Goldsmith’s sentence, the maximum allowed by law, ensures that justice is served.”