Prosecutors say he fractured the skull, broke the ribs and tore blood vessels in the brain of his 9-week-old son in the spring of 2009.
The Pennsylvania Superior Court has upheld the conviction and sentence of a western Pennsylvania man spending 12 to 45 years in prison for beating his wife and newborn son, who is now permanently mentally disabled and on a feeding tube.
John Nerone, 25, of Middle Taylor Township, was sentenced in May 2010 in Cambria County, but only after denying the abuse and blaming it on the boy's mother, who was divorcing him at the time.
The Tribune-Democrat of Johnstown reports today that the appeals court upheld the verdict, which was driven by testimony from the baby's mother, who said she had night terrors and flashbacks from the abuse.
Prosecutors say Nerone fractured the skull, broke the ribs and tore blood vessels in the brain of his 9-week-old son in the spring of 2009.