Nathan Weitzel, 31, of Centennial, Colorado told prosecutors he "the reason he wanted to kill his son was because being a father is a big responsibility and he did not think he was man enough to raise a child." (Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office)
The Colorado man who prosecutors said purposely left his toddler unrestrained in the backseat of his car prior to intentionally crashing the vehicle pleaded guilty Tuesday to first-degree attempted murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison, The Denver Post reported.
Nathan Weitzel, 31, of Centennial, Colo., deliberately tried to kill his infant son in August 2016 when he drove his Acura sedan at 75 mph into several park cars.
Weitzel’s son suffered a broken leg, a concussion and a cut to his forehead that required 20 stitches, FOX 31 reported.
Weitzel reportedly told authorities “the reason he wanted to kill [his son] was because being a father was a big responsibility and he did not think he was man enough to raise a child.” He also allegedly admitted to using cocaine.
KUSA previously reported, citing court documents, that Weitzel thought of killing his son while watching him play at a park.
Weitzel was charged with attempted first-degree murder, child abuse, assault and other charges.
Weitzel pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and had all but the attempted first-degree murder charge dropped. He pleaded guilty to the one charge in February.
This was a very serious crime in which an innocent child was hurt and very easily ... could have been dead.
“This was a very serious crime in which an innocent child was hurt and very easily … could have been dead,” Arapahoe District Judge Jeffrey Holmes said during Weitzel’s sentencing.
After Weitzel’s prison term, he is sentenced to five years of parole, the Post reported.
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