Gulfport man gets 40 years in prison after infant son dies from scalding injuries

A Gulfport man will spend 40 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his infant son.

Kendall Pritchett Sr., 27, of Gulfport entered a guilty plea last month after police charged him with the baby’s death in May 2020, according to a press release from the Harrison County District Attorney.

Gulfport police responded to Garden Park Hospital and found the 6-week-old infant dead, officials said. A medical examiner ruled the death a homicide from burn injury, and Gulfport police found the infant lived with his mother and Pritchett Sr., his father, at an apartment on Jody Nelson Drive.

The boy had suffered scald burns 10 days before his death and police said the parents never sought medical care or made a call to a doctor. They opted instead to search methods of treating burns online and conceal their son’s injuries, the press release said, until May 30, 2020, when they discovered the child unresponsive in his crib and called 911.

Medical experts found the burns consistent with exposure to water temperatures over 120 degrees for at least five minutes, and during a hearing Pritchett said he and the mother were under the influence of drugs and had burned their son during a bath.

The infant’s mother also pled guilty to second-degree murder and her sentence is pending.

This story was originally published June 28, 2023 at 4:34 PM.