Pasadena Jury Set to Deliberate Fate of Local Man Accused in Infant Death

Jury deliberations are set to begin Thursday in the trial of Christopher Richmond, a South Pasadena man charged with murder in the death of his infant son.

Richmond, 31, faces charges of murder and assault on a child causing death related to his son, Cash. He is also charged with domestic battery and assault against the baby’s mother in August 2021 and April 2022.

Prosecutor Brian Rosenberg urged jurors to hold Richmond accountable, describing an “eerie” 911 call in which the defendant reported his son had stopped breathing. Rosenberg said Richmond initially claimed he waited 15 to 20 minutes before calling for help, later revising this estimate to 5 minutes during a February 2023 custody hearing. Richmond allegedly refused to enter his son’s hospital room.

The baby died on February 17, 2023, at six months and 15 days old, after being taken off life support. An autopsy reportedly revealed multiple blunt traumatic injuries, including broken ribs, a broken leg, and a cervical fracture. A doctor at Mattel Children’s Hospital determined from X-rays that the boy had two prior incidents involving broken ribs.

Defense attorney Michael Hawkins accused investigators of a “rush to judgment,” questioning who caused the injuries. He portrayed Richmond as a happy first-time father, challenging the prosecution’s characterization of him as a “callous, murderous monster.” Hawkins asked, “Why would Chris intentionally kill his 7-week-old baby?” and stated there was no evidence the baby had been crying that day.

Emergency responders described Richmond as “oddly calm” during the incident, contrasting with the baby’s “hysterical” mother. 911 dispatcher Patricia Velasco stated, “It’s the one call that I still carry with me. Everything from start to finish it was just an odd call … Speaking to the father, he was so calm.”

The defense argued this was Richmond’s typical response to stress.

Under cross-examination, witnesses acknowledged they had never spoken with Richmond before and didn’t know how he deals with stressful situations.

Richmond was arrested four days after his son was hospitalized and has remained in custody since then. The boy’s mother and half-brother were expected to testify the following day.

The trial is taking place at the Pasadena Courthouse, located at 300 E. Walnut St.