Dad sentenced in infant's death

A Ramsey County District Court judge sentenced a St. Paul man to 12½ years in

prison after the suspect admitted to intentionally dropping his adopted infant

son last March, causing the baby's death.

Steven Dean Showcatally, 35, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in November

for the death of 6-month-old Gustavo Adolpho Hunt. Showcatally was sentenced on

Jan. 7.

St. Paul police were called to Children's Hospital in St. Paul on March 16

after Showcatally took his son to the emergency room with massive head trauma.

The baby suffered multiple skull fractures and died that day.

The day of Gustavo's death, Showcatally told police he gave Gustavo a bath

after the baby soiled himself. Showcatally said he "freaked out" when his son

soiled himself again. Showcatally told police he intentionally dropped the

infant in the bathtub several times. Afterward, Showcatally noticed the baby's

eyes were twitching and rolling back in his head, so he rushed the baby to the

emergency room.

Showcatally told police he and his wife had been trying to adopt a baby for the

past four years and received Gustavo in November 2003 from Guatemala.

— Shannon Prather