A Sacramento father who admitted to violently shaking his baby boy has been sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison after a jury found him guilty of killing the 7-month-old. Prosecutors say the infant, Greyson, suffered catastrophic brain and spinal injuries and did not survive.
According to the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office, Judge Kenneth Brody sentenced Alexander Coffey on December 19, 2025, to a term of 25 years to life in state prison. A jury had earlier returned guilty verdicts on November 20, 2025, for second-degree murder and assault on a child causing death.
What Prosecutors Say Happened
Prosecutors say Coffey was home alone with 7-month-old Greyson on November 11, 2023. He later told officers he had shaken the infant "really hard and fast," according to the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.
The shaking, they said, caused massive trauma to Greyson's brain and spine. The injuries were described as even more severe than what is typically seen in most car crashes.
Trial, Verdict And Sentence
The case went to trial this year, and jurors ultimately agreed with prosecutors' account of what happened inside the home. Local coverage by ABC10 reported on both the November guilty verdicts and Judge Brody's December 19 sentence, noting that Coffey was convicted of second-degree murder and assault on a child causing death.
How The Law Treats This Crime
Coffey's convictions triggered some of the harshest penalties available under California law. Prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder along with a separate count of assault on a child, a combination that significantly increased his prison exposure.
The assault-on-a-child statute, Penal Code 273ab, carries a mandatory 25-years-to-life sentence when a child dies as a result, according to the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office. By comparison, the typical sentencing range for second-degree murder is outlined by FindLaw.
Deputy District Attorney Dinah Mielke of the DA's Homicide Unit prosecuted the case, according to the Sacramento County prosecutors. The office also included information on victim services in its public notice about the sentencing.
