Nathan Weitzel is facing a litany of charges after admitting to police he intentionally tried to kill his infant son in a car accident earlier this month.
Weitzel, 29, told investigators in Arapahoe County, Colorado that he left his two-year-old son Isaiah unbuckled and unrestrained in his car, before intentionally slamming his vehicle into other cars at nearly 120 km/hr.
“I was trying to kill my son,” Weitzel told police according to court documents obtained by 9 News in Denver, Colorado.
The crash occurred on August 21 at 11 a.m. in Arapahoe County.
That day Weitzel had taken his son, with whom he has split custody, to the park to play.
According to those same documents, Weitzel told police 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.”
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Weitzel later told investigators that prior to the crash he bucked up his own seat belt, but left Isiah completely unrestrained with no seat belt or car seat for protection. In the ensuing crash the toddler suffered a concussion, a broken leg, and a severe laceration on his head in addition to tearing a muscle in his neck.
The two year old was rushed to Children’s Hospital Colorado for treatment. While he is expected to survive the crash, much of his body is in a cast. He also received a neck brace, five screws in his left knee, 20 stitches in his head and is breathing with the help of an oxygen tube.
“He used to be a really good climber,” Isiah’s mom, Nancy Lopez, told 9 News. “He loves to play and run around. He can’t walk now; he’s not going to be walking for another two months.”
According to an affidavit from the Littleton, Colorado fire department, on the day of the crash Weitzel attempted to slit his wrists with a piece of broken glass while firefighters tried to free him from the wreckage of his white sedan.
When a Littleton firefighter attempted to stop him, Weitzel allegedly punched him in the chin.
Weitzel also told investigators he used cocaine on the day of the crash. He was formally charged August 25 with attempted first-degree murder, child abuse, assault, criminal mischief, possession of a controlled substance and vehicular assault.
According to Arapahoe County Jail records, Weitzel is being held on a $500,000 USD bond.
Meanwhile, Nancy Lopez has started a GoFundMe page to raise money to help cover Isaiah’s extensive medical bills. Anyone looking to donate to his cause can do so here.