A Hornell man will spend more than three decades in prison for violently shaking his infant daughter, leaving her with life-altering injuries.
On Monday, 26-year-old Robert Taft was sentenced to 33 years behind bars, along with 10 years of post-release supervision. A jury found him guilty in May on multiple counts of assault and reckless endangerment.
According to Steuben County District Attorney Brooks Baker, Taft shook his three-month-old daughter twice in October 2022, causing a near-fatal brain injury. The child continues to suffer the effects of the abuse.
Taft received 15 years for assault and 18 years for the other charges, which will be served consecutively.
“While no sentence can ever undo the lifetime of suffering Taft inflicted on his victim, what Justice Cook did today ensures the victim and her family can move on with their lives without having to carry the specter of Robert Taft,” Baker said in a statement. “We came as close to justice as you ever can in a case like this.”
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