A 32-year-old Michigan father was sentenced to serve between 17 and 50 years in a state correctional facility for the 2020 incident in which he killed his 8-month-old son.
The sentencing was handed down by 37th Circuit Court Judge John A. Hallacy on Monday, September 11.
Kyle Deering Kregling had previously pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree murder, leading to the dismissal of charges of first-degree child abuse and open murder.
The incident occurred when emergency responders were called to Kregling’s home in November 2020 after receiving reports of an unresponsive infant. The baby, Chris Kregling, was rushed to Bronson Methodist Hospital but succumbed to severe head injuries two days later.
Initially, Kregling claimed that his son had fallen off the bed, leading to his injuries. However, responding officers suspected the injuries might not have been consistent with an accidental fall. Subsequent investigations and a Calhoun County Medical Examiner’s Office autopsy confirmed that Chris Kregling’s death was a homicide.
More details emerged from a probable cause affidavit, indicating that Kregling dropped his son in a bedroom on the day of the incident. In his frustration with the infant’s crying, he admitted to shaking and eventually slamming Chris to the ground. After this, the baby became unresponsive, and Kregling attempted various methods to revive him before contacting his girlfriend, Chris’s mother, and eventually dialing 911.
Calhoun County Prosecutor David Gilbert emphasized that child abuse deaths like this one are preventable and never acceptable.
