An Orlando man may face a murder charge after allegedly shaking his 3-month-old son so severely back in 2023 at an Ormond Beach home, that the toddler, who had been on life support since, died from brain injuries on April 22, according to a Volusia Sheriff’s Office Facebook post.
The boy died under hospice care at home 3-1/2 years after he was injured and did not regain his brain function, the sheriff’s office said.
The father, Malcolm Nelson, 34, was initially arrested on Oct. 3, 2023, and charged with aggravated child abuse. The sheriff’s office said Nelson pleaded no contest to the charge and was sentenced to prison in June 2025.
Volusia sheriff’s investigators said they started looking into the aggravated child abuse charges on Jan. 24, 2023, after the child was rushed to the hospital after losing consciousness and going into cardiac arrest at home in Ormond Beach.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood announced that the Volusia Sheriff’s Office intends on pursuing upgraded charges if the death is determined to be a homicide based on the autopsy results and a thorough review of medical records, according to the Facebook post.
Child never regained consciousness, Volusia Sheriff’s Office said
According to a news release made public by the sheriff’s office in October 2023, the child suffered a severe brain injury when he was 3 months old and was placed on life support.
Investigators determined Nelson had shaken him, the sheriff’s office said.
An extensive medical evaluation and treatment in 2023 determined the baby had several injuries and fractures that resulted from physical abuse such as shaking, investigators said.
In the April 22 Facebook post, the sheriff’s office said the child never made progress toward regaining brain function following the abuse he endured at the age of 3 months in 2023.
This case remains active and is being reviewed in consultation with the Medical Examiner and State Attorney’s Office, the Facebook post said.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Orlando man may face murder after Ormond shaken baby dies, cops say
Reporting by Patricio G. Balona, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
