A Kentucky dad who fatally punched his newborn in the head because he was frustrated over losing a video game will spend the next two decades behind bars.
A judge on Thursday sentenced 32-year-old Anthony Trice to 20 years in prison after he entered an Alford plea to first-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of 1-month-old De'Anthony Trice, according to WDRB-TV.
In an Alford plea, a defendant maintains their innocence but is still sentenced as if they pleaded guilty.
Trice was initially charged with first-degree murder and child abuse.
On the night of May 3, 2019, Trice was losing at a video game when he struck De'Anthony in the head with a closed fist while they were home alone in Louisville, Kentucky, according to police, the outlet reported.
He then tried to soothe the crying infant by picking him up and carrying him into the kitchen, only to drop him, police said, WAVE-TV reported.
Trice then made De'Anthony a bottle and propped him up on the bed while he went to the bathroom.
When he returned, he realized his son was "in distress" and called 911, police said, according to the Courier Journal.
De'Anthony suffered several skull fractures and died at the hospital.
"There is no excuse. No excuse for hitting a baby, I don't care what," Alvena Smith, De'Anthony's great grandmother, previously told WAVE shortly after his death. "His life was literally taken away by his dad."
