A 31-year-old Florida man has been arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse after authorities say he repeatedly shook his 7-month-old son with enough force to cause a near-fatal brain bleed, a pattern of violence that young witnesses in the home described in disturbing detail to investigators.
Anthony Lamar Hester faces allegations that he “willfully tortured, maliciously punished, [and] knowingly or willfully committed child abuse” resulting in great bodily harm to his infant son, according to court documents. The investigation began on February 20, when detectives were called to a home in the 600 block of Harrison Place after the baby was admitted to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children with a brain bleed.
Medical personnel determined the child had bilateral subdural hemorrhages, bleeding on both sides of the brain. Doctors later concluded the injuries were consistent with abusive head trauma caused by acceleration-deceleration forces, commonly associated with shaking. What investigators uncovered as they interviewed family members painted a troubling picture of repeated violence and anger.
Two young children living in the home independently told detectives they had witnessed Hester shake the infant on multiple occasions. One child demonstrated the alleged abuse using a stuffed animal, showing investigators how Hester would hold the baby above his head and shake him vigorously.
“[The child] took the stuffed animal and placed it above her head with her arms outstretched, shaking the stuffed animal vigorously, causing the animal’s head to shake back and forth,” the affidavit states. “[She] demonstrated bringing the stuffed animal to her eye level, screaming at the animal ‘why are you crying’ while shaking it the same as documented above.”
The child told authorities that Hester would scream directly at the infant, demanding he stop crying and saying, “boys don’t cry.” The screaming, she said, would only make the baby cry harder, and she never saw Hester behave as though he were playing.
A second child corroborated the account, adding that Hester would sometimes leave the screaming infant alone in a room for hours. Symptoms first appeared on February 15, when the baby began vomiting. A hospital visit that day showed no acute concerns, but the infant’s condition worsened over the following days.
By February 18, new imaging revealed fresh brain bleeding and fluid buildup requiring immediate surgery. Crucially, a Child Protection Team physician confirmed the injuries were consistent with repeated shaking. Investigators identified February 15 as a critical window, the same day symptoms began, Hester was the sole caregiver while the mother was at work.
Family members also described a broader history of concerning behavior, including heavy alcohol use, past domestic violence, and an incident in which Hester allegedly discharged a firearm inside a home. Hester is currently held in Volusia County Jail without bond and is scheduled for arraignment on May 21.
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