A “quiet” Pennsylvania father allegedly stabbed his baby son and tossed his tiny, injured body into the snow last week as part of a “sacrifice,” prosecutors chillingly revealed Thursday.
Michael Phillips, 44, was arrested after police responded to a call about a stabbing on Wednesday at an apartment complex in Coatesville just before 11:40 a.m., according to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office.
After arriving at the home, police discovered that Phillips had allegedly stabbed his 3-month-old son in the abdomen after the infant’s mother said he made comments about “having to sacrifice the baby” and had come at her with a knife, the DA said.
Philips allegedly tried to stab his baby son several times, but only managed to strike him once, the mother told police.
After the father launched the alleged freak assault, the terrified mother grabbed the injured child and her 9-year-old son to flee the residence, prosecutors added.
As the older son ran to get help, Philips allegedly followed the mother outside, grabbed the baby from her arms, and “threw the infant in the snow.”
The mother heroically “used her body to shield her child from further harm” until first responders arrived at the scene.
Officers quickly got the infant medical attention and flew him to a local hospital in “very serious condition,” according to the Coatesville police department.
As of Thursday, the baby boy was listed in critical but stable condition, police said.
One of Phillips’ neighbors, Edward Rivers, told NBC10 that he saw the father with his baby and older son around 8 a.m. on the day of the stabbing.
“He’s always been a quiet, nice guy,” Rivers told the outlet.
“Every time I see him, he says, ‘What’s up?’ This morning I saw him. He walked outside with his son and I saw him. He smiled to me, said goodbye like normal and walked out. To me, it was surprising because he seemed like a really nice guy. He was really a good neighbor.”
Phillips had been charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault, possessing an instrument of crime, and recklessly endangering another person, the DA’s office said.
He is currently being held without bond at Chester County Prison.
“Coatesville Police and local EMS heroically worked to give this infant a chance to survive. Our thoughts go to the family during this incredibly difficult time,” Coatesville District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe said in a statement.
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