The Murder of Teddie Mitchell
Teddie Mitchell, 11 weeks old, was viciously attacked by Kane Mitchell in St. Neots, Cambridgeshire, England. Following the attack, Teddie remained on life support for 10 days until he succumbed to his injuries.
Background
Lucci Smith, 29, had been in a serious relationship with a man named Liam Gibb, 34. They had children together, which included Teddie Mitchell, who was born on August 16, 2019. When the couple separated, Smith and her children moved into an apartment with Kane Mitchell, 31. Neighbors would later testify that the couple would have extremely volatile arguments. They notified authorities and covertly video/audio taped the arguments as they were clearly heard throughout the apartment complex. In September 2019, a social worker was assigned to the family due to Mitchell punching Smith. The case review/report was due to be written January 2020.
The Murder
On November 1, 2019, Lucci left Teddie in the care of her boyfriend, Kane Mitchell, while she drove her older children to school. When she returned home approximately 15 minutes later, she noticed Teddie was lethargic and wouldn’t take his bottle. Smith called her son’s pediatrician, who advised her to call for an ambulance immediately. However, she waited 30 minutes before calling for medical assistance.
Once they arrived at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon, doctors determined the extent of Teddie’s injuries and notified police. Teddie was then transferred to Addenbrooke Hospital for a specialized neurological assessment which determined that he would not recover. Mitchell repeatedly told authorities he had no idea how the boy had been hurt despite him being the only caregiver during the timeframe when Teddie was injured. Police arrested Mitchell and Smith on suspicion of child abuse and neglect.
The Extent of Teddie’s Injuries
The medical examiner determined Teddie had suffered severe head trauma categorized as a fractured skull with brain bleed due to his head striking a solid unmoving surface, lack of oxygen, severe shaking, bruises from his body being gripped to hard, 17 broken ribs, eye injury, spinal injuries, and a fractured collarbone. On November 11, 2019, Teddie died after being on life support for 10 days. His autopsy determined that the skull fracture was his cause of death. It was also determined that Teddie had suffered 5 different individual attacks since his birth due to different stages of healing. In a final twist, DNA testing revealed that despite what Smith had said and what Mitchell believed, Liam Gibb was Teddie’s biological father.
Court Proceedings
Mitchell would take his case to trial. After the 4-week trial, the jury took just two days to deliberate. On January 14, 2021, they found Kane Mitchell guilty of murder. He was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after a minimum of 18 years served.
The jury found Lucci Smith guilty of child neglect stemming from her hesitation in calling for medical assistance as directed by Teddie’s pediatrician. She was acquitted on charges of causing or allowing serious injury or death to her son. She was granted time served for the time that she had spent in jail while awaiting trial. She was ordered two years of community service.
Words From a Grieving Father
In a media interview, Teddie’s biological father, Liam Gibb, said the following. “I am so angry. There are no words that can fully describe how I feel. After we split, I wasn’t able to have any involvement in the pregnancy, the birth, and didn’t even meet him when he was born. I never even held him or saw him in the flesh. I never got to meet my boy or watch him grow. I’ll never get to read to him or take him to football. I don’t know how to grieve for something I never had. My son was murdered but it’s not just me upset. My family is heartbroken too. They’ve robbed my mum of her grandson. She’s a wreck.” He further stated, “I found out Teddie was in the hospital from a neighbor. No one even had the respect to ring me and let me know. I’m still fighting to even get on the birth certificate. I feel like I’ve had zero rights throughout this. It’s disgusting. I want to start healing now. I just wish I had more than a few pictures to remember my son by.”