Father who punched, choked 2-month-old is guilty of attempted murder

A Costa Mesa father captured on a “nanny cam” trying to kill his 2-month-old son was convicted Monday by a jury after it saw images of the man swinging the infant by the neck with a noose-like blanket and repeatedly punching, strangling and shaking the boy.

Joshua Allen Robey, 26, was found guilty of one felony count each of attempted murder with premeditation and deliberation, torture and child abuse with a sentencing enhancement for causing great bodily injury to a child under 5 years old.

Because of the torture allegation, Robey faces a maximum sentence of 13 years to life in state prison at his sentencing next month.

Robey attacked the child while babysitting at his girlfriend’s home of two years. Unbeknownst to Robey, his girlfriend had set up a secret nanny camera at her home in Anaheim because she believed him to be cheating on her.

But shockingly, the camera captured Robey violently abusing and attempting to kill the infant, prosecutors said. The video captured Robey wrapping a blanket around the baby’s neck, picking him up by lifting the ends of the blanket like a noose and swinging the victim around for over a minute.

Robey laid the baby back down and punched him several times in the chest with closed fists. On multiple occasions, he strangled, slapped and punched the baby and grabbed him by the throat with both hands, lifted him in the air and violently shook him, according to prosecutors’ depiction of the video.

During one point, the child began to cry and Robey covered the victim’s mouth with his hand, grabbed him by the neck, and shook him in the air.

Prosecutors also presented evidence at trial that Robey attempted to suffocate his son by covering the victim’s face with a blanket and covering the baby’s mouth with his hand for several seconds. He also covered the victim’s nose and mouth with tape to suffocate the baby.

The baby’s mother discovered the abuse when she watched the video. The girlfriend’s mother learned of the video the following day and took the baby to the hospital.

Hospital officials immediately called the Anaheim Police Department, which arrested Robey at a Santa Ana motel where he was living.

Medical evidence presented during the trial showed the child suffered fractured ribs and bleeding to the brain.

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richard.winton@latimes.com