Father expected to plead guilty to starving infant

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - A Wounded Knee father accused of fatally starving his newborn son is expected to plead guilty to second-degree murder in agreement with federal prosecutors. He’s expected in federal court in Rapid City Friday.

Prosecutors say 25-year-old Darwin Wade Red Cloud withheld sustenance from the 2-month-old as a pattern of child abuse in October 2014. The Rapid City Journal reports the baby was born in good health at Pine Ridge Hospital.

Red Cloud was initially charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse and neglect. It’s not clear if the child’s mother was charged in her son’s death. The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment since she was 15 when the baby was born.

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Information from: Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com