Taylor Basilio, the Phoenix man who last month admitted to beating his 7-week-old son so brutally that the boy's skull was broken in two places, was in Maricopa County Superior Court this morning where he pleaded not guilty to child abuse charges.
Basilio and his wife, Candace Basilio, were arrested last month after taking the baby to the doctor to get a flu shot. It was only the boy's second visit to a doctor since he was born in
October. The doctor immediately noticed that the boy was under-weight,
so he had him transferred to Banner Thunderbird Medical Center for
X-rays.
According to court records obtained by New Times,
the X-rays revealed that the boy had several injuries in various stages
of healing, including several rib fractures, a broken clavicle,
fractures to both legs, and two skull fractures.
When police
spoke with Candace (through a sign-language interpreter -- both Basilios
are deaf), she said she was scared for her husband, and that she didn't
want him to go to jail. However, she didn't say why she thought he
might end up in the slammer.
Taylor Basilio cleared up any confusion about why he might end up behind bars --
before he was even asked any of the cops' questions, he blurted out that his son didn't
fall off a bed. Then he said didn't know if his son fell off a bed.
Then Basilio told police he has a bit of a temper problem, and
that he's an angry man who's "done some stupid
things lately."
Basilio then went on to detail three separate incidents in November
where he shook the baby. He also admitted to pulling on the 7-week-old's
arms, but insisted he never pulled the baby's legs.
As Taylor Basilio was spilling his guts to police, Candace was urging
him -- in sign language -- not to tell the cops what he'd done.
Basilio's been charged with one count of child abuse.
A few days after her initial interview with investigatos, Candace Basilio was re-interviewed by police and admitted
that she, too, hurt the child. She also was booked on one count of child
abuse.
Basilio's due back in court February 21.
