Infant Killed Over Crying: The Tragic Final Hours of Baby Elijah, 115 Days Old

The heartbreaking details of the crime that led to the death of 115-day-old baby Elijah were heard in the Victorian Supreme Court this morning, as his killer, Benjamin Joseph Swann, was sentenced to 13 years in jail.

Swann, 31, admitted to deliberately causing a blunt force trauma to the infant’s head in a moment of frustration and anger while attempting to settle the crying boy at their Werribee home.

The tragic incident occurred around 4 am on January 19, 2024. Elijah’s mother, Elyce, heard a loud bang shortly after Swann went into the room. Swann immediately returned with the baby and told Elyce to “take this fing baby,”* before leaving.

Elyce quickly realised her son was making an unusual wheezing sound and was gasping for breath. She grew alarmed when she noticed her son was turning blue. Swann urged her to wait before calling for help, but she ignored him, calling an ambulance.

Despite the efforts of paramedics and doctors, Elijah was found to have suffered a non-survivable brain injury. He was taken off life support and died in his mother’s arms in the early hours of the following day.

Justice James Gorton said the offending was a \”serious example of the serious charge of child homicide.\”

\”He had his entire life before him,\” the judge said of the victim. \”He will now never grow up.\”

Swann received a total sentence of 13 years, with a minimum of nine years and six months to be served before being eligible for parole.