FRIDLEY, Minn. – A 23-year-old Twin Cities man is charged with 2nd-degree murder for the death of his 5-month-old son.
According to the criminal complaint, Aaron Rathke of Fridley would choke his son, Kaiden Rathke, until he passed out and then revive him with CPR whenever the child had trouble sleeping.
Kaiden died on March 1.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s office ruled his death a homicide by multiple blunt force injuries in September. Rathke said he and the child’s mother did not call 911 because “they had been able to bring him back” in the past.
The mother said she saw Rathke choking the boy two months before his death and tried to intervene, but Rathke pushed her away. She said she did not come forward earlier because she was afraid of Rathke because he had been abusive to her in the past.
Comments