Eric Richard Boudreau, 32, was detained in Washington State on March 29 in connection with the alleged murder of a 13-month-old child that he was babysitting last year. The Lacey Police Department tweeted about the arrest and included a picture of the suspect in handcuffs with his hands behind his back.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, on November 11, 2022, at around 2 p.m., emergency personnel received a call from a residence on Campus Glen Drive Northeast reporting that a child had been hurt after falling down some stairs. His babysitter, Boudreau, had allegedly dozed off.

As soon as they arrived, emergency personnel transported the infant to Providence St. Peter Hospital. After 16 rounds of CPR, medical personnel were able to detect a heartbeat. He was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he unfortunately passed away.

The death was determined to be a homicide after the autopsy revealed that the child had suffered blunt force trauma to the head. The fact that there “wasn’t a square inch” of the child’s body left unbruised led police to the conclusion that the injuries did not result from the baby falling down the carpeted stairs.

In his 17 years as a medic, one first responder said that it was the worst injury he had ever seen.

The boy’s mother said she had to go to work and the daycare was closed. She left the child with Boudreau. She didn’t believe he was capable of doing such a horrible act. That morning, the boy’s father, who resided in the same building, heard the child crying and heard Boudreau telling him to be quiet, but the dad made the decision to do nothing and went to work.

Further investigation revealed that the suspect had consumed alcohol and smoked marijuana the previous evening but he thought he was okay with watching the boy despite his hangover. He says he fell asleep, and when he saw that the boy had fallen down the stairs, he called the child’s mother.

Boudreau was detained and charged with second-degree murder. On Friday, he appeared at his preliminary hearing in Thurston County Superior Court. He is currently being detained in the county jail without bond.