The tragic story of Trigger Carson was finally brought to a conclusion on Jan. 29
Trigger's father, Andrew Carson, was sentenced by Ocmulgee Circuit Judge Amanda Petty to 30 years with 12 years to serve in confinement for his role in Trigger’s death.
Carson pleaded guilty to charges of cruelty to children in the first degree and second degree on Jan. 28.
Investigator Chase Young said Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta initially notified the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office in 2017 about injuries Trigger had sustained when he was only nine weeks old.
Doctors said the infant suffered from head trauma, 30 fractures in various stages of healing, and over 200 retinal hemorrhages in both eyes.
After the initial injuries, brain activity in the child stopped and never returned.
According to Young, the Department of Family and Children Services got involved in the case and took custody of Trigger. The child passed away in 2022.
Carson was initially indicted on cruelty to children charges in 2017 but was re-indicted in 2022 on charges of malice murder, felony murder, cruelty to children, and aggravated battery. The murder and battery charges were ultimately dropped when Carson agreed to plead guilty to the cruelty charges.
His wife, Rebecca Mosley Carson, was also indicted and re-indicted on cruelty to children charges, but the charges were dismissed after the guilty plea.
"The evidence strongly suggested [Andrew Carson] was in sole custody of Trigger during the incident. He certainly shared 90% of the culpability. Our theory suggested [Rebecca Carson] knew and failed to get Trigger help promptly. Still, her case was much weaker regarding facts and evidence,” District Attorney T. Wright Barksdale III explained about the dismissal of Rebecca’s charges.
Several factors delayed the case for nearly eight years, including the COVID pandemic that almost shut down the court system, Andrew getting sick, and the death of the child.
“It was frustrating with all the delays,” Barksdale told the Lake Oconee News.
He acknowledged how the delays made the prosecution team’s case challenging, explaining problems with gathering medical experts and witnesses struggling to remember incidents over time.
“These cases are very, very difficult, and adding eight years to the prosecutor’s case is very detrimental,” said Barksdale.
According to reports, Carson initially tried to explain the child’s injuries by claiming that he put the child in a bassinet and then put the bassinet in a tool cart while working in his shop at night. The tool cart then tipped over, and the child fell, hitting his head.
Medical experts who testified said Carson’s explanation didn’t explain away the numerous fractures or hemorrhages. According to the experts, the hemorrhages were clear signs of “shaken baby syndrome,” where forcefully shaking an infant causes vessels to rupture within the layers of the eyes.
Barksdale noted incidents like “shaken baby syndrome” often happen when other people aren’t around, making it difficult to prosecute or find witnesses. He said Carson’s defense team also brought medical experts to testify in their case.
“It’s a tough case. We did the best we could to get the best result for Trigger Carson,” Barksdale said after the sentencing.
“Bottom line, this case was a tragedy — this was horrible,” he continued. “My heart goes out to everybody. I absolutely hated it. It’s just a sad case for me. My heart breaks for the child; my heart breaks for the defendant’s family. Not only did they lose a grandchild, but now their son is in prison.”