Inset: Anthony L. Hester (Volusia County Sheriff's Office). Background: Deputies arresting Hester at his Florida home (WKMG).
A 31-year-old man in Florida is accused of severely abusing his 7-month-old son for months, allegedly shaking the boy so hard that he caused a near-fatal brain bleed.
Anthony Lamar Hester was arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse in connection with the injuries suffered by the boy, court records show.
In court documents, authorities allege that Hester "willfully tortured, maliciously punished, [and] knowingly or willfully committed child abuse" that resulted in great bodily harm to his son.
The investigation into Hester began on Feb. 20, when detectives responded to a home in the 600 block of Harrison Place regarding a child abuse investigation after the infant was admitted to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children with a brain bleed, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Medical personnel determined the child had bilateral subdural hemorrhages — bleeding on both sides of the brain — prompting a child protection services investigation. Doctors later concluded the injuries were consistent with abusive head trauma caused by acceleration-deceleration forces, such as shaking.
As investigators began interviewing family members, a troubling pattern of physical and emotional abuse allegedly emerged.
Two young witnesses in the home — both children — independently described seeing Hester shake the infant on multiple occasions. One child demonstrated the motion to detectives using a stuffed animal.
"[The child] took the stuffed animal and placed it above her head with her arms outstretched, shaking the stuffed animal vigorously, causing the animal's head to shake back and forth," the affidavit states. "Additionally, [she] demonstrated bringing the stuffed animal to her eye level, screaming at the animal 'why are you crying' while shaking it the same as documented above."
The child said Hester "would become frustrated and scream loudly, directly at [the victim]," demanding the infant stop crying and saying "boys don't cry."
Such behavior, the girl told authorities, would only make the infant cry harder, and "at no point did she ever observe [Hester] laughing as if in a playful manner."
Another child similarly reported witnessing Hester pick the infant up and shake him more than once, adding that he would become angry when the baby cried and sometimes leave him alone in a room to scream for hours.
On Feb. 15, the child began vomiting and later dry heaving, symptoms initially believed to be related to formula changes or illness. Despite a hospital visit that day, imaging reportedly showed no acute concerns at the time.
But over the next several days, the infant continued vomiting, became increasingly fussy, and showed signs of distress. By Feb. 18, doctors ordered additional imaging, which revealed new bleeding on the brain and a buildup of fluid, requiring immediate surgical intervention.
Medical experts later noted that the child had no acute intracranial bleeding just days earlier, making the sudden appearance of bilateral hemorrhages particularly concerning.
"Acceleration-deceleration forces is consistent with the injuries [the child] sustained," a Child Protection Team physician concluded after reviewing the case.
Investigators also identified a key window of time when the injuries likely occurred.
The child's mother told authorities that on Feb. 15 — the same day symptoms began — Hester was the sole caregiver while she was at work, providing what investigators described as "a clear period of unsupervised contact."
While Hester and the child's mother initially attributed earlier symptoms to a minor incident in which the baby rolled over and bumped his head on a bed frame, authorities determined that explanation was inconsistent with the severity of the injuries.
Further interviews uncovered additional concerns about Hester's behavior. Family members described a history of anger, heavy alcohol use, and past domestic violence. One woman told investigators Hester had previously strangled her and once discharged a firearm inside a home while attempting to demonstrate it was unloaded.
Detectives also noted prior law enforcement contacts involving intoxication, property destruction, and erratic behavior.
The affidavit concludes that the totality of evidence — including witness statements, medical findings, and the timeline of symptoms — supports that the infant's injuries were the result of repeated physical abuse while in Hester's care.
"The failure to seek medical care" was not the central issue in this case; rather, investigators emphasized the repeated acts of violence described by witnesses and corroborated by medical evidence.
Hester is currently being held in the Volusia County Jail without bond and is scheduled to appear in court for his arraignment May 21.