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Sentencing Begins For Man Guilty of Killing Infant Son

It's been over a year since a North Mankato Man took the life of his 3 1/2 month old child while trying to stop him from crying.
 
It was a very emotional day for both sides in the courtroom, seeing for the first time a police interview video of Christopher Farris, autopsy photos, and testimony from family members.
Dawson's Aunt Kyra Moniz, talked about how his funeral was the longest day of her life.
 
Moniz says, "It was something that I would have never pictured, just the smallest casket with my nephew in it. It was just so hard."
In his statement to police, Farris said he bounced his son for 5 to 10 minutes in an attempt to stop his crying, then left the room to smoke a cigarette and when he returned Dawson was having difficulty breathing. In the next 17 minutes he made 16 calls to Dawson's mother. By the time Farris drove to the hospital Dawson's lips were blue and he was pronounced dead.
 
Prosecuting Attorney Michelle Zehnder Fischer says, "The defendant never did any resuscitations or made any attempts to get him any intervention other than driving him to the hospital and he certainly had many other opportunities to do so."
With a guilty plea entered, the two sides now move to the length of Farris' prison term, with the prosecution asking for the maximum sentence of 15 years, and the defense asking for leniency, with defense attorney Brad Peyton saying Farris has been cooperative and remorseful.
The defense argues he should be given the lesser sentence so he can be there for his two other children, Sophie and Kaleb, that he has with his girlfriend.
 
Marnee White says, "I know he's very sorry about what happened. He did not mean to do anything. Whatever happened, it wasn't intentional. He just got overwhelmed."
 
Eddy Ferris says, "They miss their uncle and I know it's hard to see them behind a plated glass window and talk to him on a phone. They want to hug him, I can tell."
 
Defense Attorney Brad Peyton says, "There's no punishment you can necessarily give him in the criminal court system that's going to take the place of the punishment that he is doing to himself."
Though not everyone sees it that way.
Moniz says, "180 months is nothing, but it's the least the justice system could do."
 
Christopher Farris was charged with 10 felony counts but took a deal in November and pleaded guilty to unintentional murder in the second degree.
He faces a maximum of 15 years behind bars.
The judge will return with the final decision on February 14.