IDAHO FALLS -- Paulette Martha Welch has been ordered to stand trial on a first-degree murder charge in the death of her son, following expert testimony the boy appeared to have died from being violently shaken.
Stockton Welch of Idaho Falls died May 1 at Columbia Eastern Idaho Medical Center after being treated for severe head injuries.
Bonneville prosecutors contend he died of injuries consistent with Shaken Baby Syndrome, characterized by brain swelling and blood behind the eyes.
Welch's husband, Kelley, had planned to take the Fifth Amendment at last week's hearing, but Magistrate William Hollerich ordered him to speak. He said he saw nothing happen to his son between midnight and 9 a.m. that day. Welch said he later found his wife holding his son's limp body.
According to court records, his 4-year-old sister initially told police her brother fell to the floor, but she did not see him fall.
A doctor contacted the state Department of Health and Welfare and told investigators the baby had suspicious injuries.
The hearing drew more than 100 friends and family members in support of Paulette Welch.
Dr. Jill Veber, an Idaho Falls pediatrician who helps investigate child abuse cases, testified she suspected it because of the blood she saw in the boy's eyes and the coma he was in when they brought him to the hospital.
Dr. Helen Britton, a Utah physician with 22 years of experience in child abuse cases said the head injuries and brain damage were clear indicators. "There has never been a kid who has had a witnessed accidental fall of five feet and experienced those kind of injuries," Britton said.
Paulette Welch was released on $100,000 bond. Her supporters have launched a letter-writing campaign and plan events like a golf tournament and garage sale for her attorney fees.
"She did not do this, nor did any member of her family," said the Welches' friend, Sandra Harker.
