Background: Justin Golden reads a statement in court at his sentencing on Dec. 19 (WJAX). Inset: Pablo Golden (GoFundMe).
A Florida man who left his baby son in the middle of an intersection and ran him over with his truck will spend several decades behind bars.
Justin Golden, 21, pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and aggravated manslaughter in September, months after he placed his 8-month-old son, Pablo, in the road and ran him over in his GMC truck. On Friday, a judge sentenced him to 30 years in prison, saying, “I have seen people exercise more care, caution and concern for a squirrel that darts into the roadway, a lizard that is on the hood of their car.”
Golden read a statement in court in which he apologized and took full responsibility for the tragic crime, saying, “While I did not intend to kill my son, and had no criminal intent, I know that is not enough. I failed as his protector, as his father, and I was the monster who killed him.”
As Law&Crime previously reported, Golden and Pablo”s mother were making a trip to a Walmart store in Jacksonville, Florida, on the morning of Jan. 25, with the baby in tow. The couple began arguing while they were in Golden’s truck and stopped at an intersection, reportedly about “baby wipes and money,” according to an arrest affidavit.
Pablo’s mother decided to end the fight by getting out of the stopped vehicle. In response, Golden said he “did not want to be responsible for the child” and took Pablo out of the truck, sitting him on the road while in the intersection. Golden then got back behind the wheel, closed the truck’s door, and drove off, running over his baby son.
Several people witnessed the horrific incident from the beginning of the couple’s fight. One woman saw Golden remove something from his truck and put it on the ground, believing it was a “bag of trash.” She realized it was a child when “she saw it move” after Golden drove over it.
Pablo’s mother began screaming upon realizing what had happened to her baby. Police tracked down Golden not long after he drove away, and he was quickly arrested. Paramedics rushed Pablo to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Golden’s defense attorney argued for a lenient sentence, and family members appeared in court on his behalf. Prosecutors argued that Golden knew he was placing his baby son in harm’s way. The judge agreed with the prosecution and issued the maximum sentence.
David Harris contributed to this report.
