A Kennett man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for assaulting a one year old child. Judge Robert Mayer sentenced 33 year old Matthew Thomas Estes, Jr after a Dunklin County jury found Estes guilty of first degree assault and abuse of a child during a three-day jury trial in September.
According to Prosecuting Attorney Nicholas Jain, on the morning of April 26, 2016, Estes’ then girlfriend found her 21-month-old son with bruises all over his face and body and his eye swollen shut. The child was eventually airlifted to a Memphis hospital, where he was diagnosed with three skull fractures and a buildup of blood on his brain, among other injuries. During the trial, Estes blamed the girlfriend for the child’s injuries.