Robert Leighton Beecher Jr. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- Born: 26 Aug 1937, Allentown, Lehigh, PA 2 3 5 6
- Marriage (1): Darlene Evelyn White
- Marriage (2): Sandra E. Willey
- Died: 3 Sep 2003, Allentown, Lehigh, PA at age 66 2 3 5 6 7
- Buried: Allentown: Greenwood Cemetery, Lehigh, PA 5
FamilySearch ID: L6Y7-K3M.
Noted events in his life were:
1. Census in 1940 in Allentown, Lehigh, PA. 8 The 1940 census recorded renting at 958 Linden St.: Robert L. Beecher, 28, projectionist in theatre, living with wife Arlene F., 28; and son Robert, 2. Everyone was born in Pennsylvania. They were living in the same place in 1935.
2. Census in 1950 in Allentown, Lehigh, PA. 9 The 1950 census recorded at 958 Linden Street: Robert L. Beecher, bicycle shop repair proprietor, 39, living with wife Arline F., 39; and Robert F., 12. Everyone was born in Pennsylvania.
3. Newspaper: Gettysburg Times: Robert L. Beecher charged with assualt with intent to kill., 26 Jul 1961, Gettysburg, Adams, PA. 10 ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- Police have charged Robert L. Beecher Jr., 23, of Allentown, with assualt with intent to kill. Authorities said he signed a statement in which he admitted dropping his 8-week-old son to the floor.
The child was reported in critical condition today in Allentown Hospital.
Beecher was placed in jail in default of $15,000 bail.
4. Newspaper: Plain Speaker: Father Admits Dropping Son, 26 Jul 1961, Hazleton, Luzerne, PA. 1 ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- Police have charged Robert L Beecher Jr., 23, of Allentown, with assualt with intent to kill. Authorities said he signed a statement admitted dropping his 8-week old son to the floor.
The child was reported in critical condition today in Allentown Hospital.
Beecher was placed in jail in default of $15,000 bail.
Dist. Atty. George Joseph of Lehigh County quoted Beecher as saying he was overcome by an "emotional urge" and dropped the boy five feet to the floor.
Joseph said Beecher told him he then picked up the boy and tried to revive him with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, then rushed him to the hospital where he was revived.
According to Joseph, Beecher, an airman stationed at Westover Air Force Base, Mass., admitted dropping the baby once before and breaking his left arm.
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5. Newspaper: The Morning Call: Infant Son 'Critical' - Allentonian Held, 26 Jul 1961, Allentown, Lehigh, PA. 11 -----
Admits Throwing Boy to Floor
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Infant Son 'Critical' - Allentonian Held
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(photo of Robert Beecher)
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A 23 - year - old Allentown man was ordered held in $15,000 bail last night after he made a signed statement admitting he threw his 8-week-old son to the floor, injuring him critically, Monday afternoon.
The father, Airman 1.C. Robert L. Beecher Jr. of 958 Linden St., was charged with aggravated assault and battery and assault with intent to kill in warrants sworn before Alderman Roland B. Downing.
Injuries Undetermined
The child, Robert E. Beecher, was in Allentown Hospital last night, continuing in critical condition.
Lehigh County Dist. Atty. George J. Joseph said hospital authorities have not been able to make x-rays. It is possible Joseph said, that the child may have three fractures of the skull. There are also body bruises and evidence of fractures of both arms and seven ribs.
In his statement last night, Beecher said he threw the child to the floor about 1:45 p.m. Monday, when he was suddenly seized with what he described as an "emotional urge that completely overcame my sense of reality."
Beecher said he had dropped the child to the floor once before, in Springfield, Mass., about five weeks ago, when the baby was 3 1/2 weeks old.
On each occasion, Beecher said, his wife was not present. In Springfield, he said, she was in another room. Monday, in Allentown, she was in the basement of their home, doing laundry.
Monday afternoon, Beecher told Joseph, the emotional urge he spoke of left him in the instant he threw the baby down. The child had stopped breathing, he told Joseph.
Beecher said he administered mouth-to-mouth breathing, trying to revive the child. Then both parents rushed the baby to a nearby physician who administered some immediate treatment and told the couple to get the child to a hospital.
At the hospital, resuscitation efforts were continued until normal breathing was restored, Joseph said. Hospital authorities reported the child's condition to the district attorney's office at noon yesterday. Joseph's assistant attorneys, Wallace C. Worth Jr. and William C. Wickkiser, assisted him in the investigation, working with members of the AHentown detective staff.
The baby was born last Memorial Day.
Beecher is a musician in an Air Force band unit, stationed at Westover Air Force Base, Springfield, Mass.
Beecher said that when he dropped the baby in Springfield several weeks ago, the infant's left arm was fractured.
The parents took the child to the Air Force base clinic at Westover for treatment. Beecher said a cast was removed from the left arm about eight days ago. Examinations Monday revealed that a fracture of the child's left arm was healing, Joseph said.
Alderman Downing said he has not yet set a hearing date.
6. Newspaper: Morning Call: Man Jailed to Await Hearing In Beating of His Infant Son, 1 Dec 1961, Allentown, Lehigh, PA. 12 -----
Man Jailed to Await Hearing In Beating of His Infant Son
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Robert L. Beecher Jr., 23, was transferred yesterday from Valley Forge General Hospital to Lehigh County Prison to await a hearing on charges of aggravated assault and battery and assault with intent to kill. He is being held in default of $15,000 bail for a preliminary hearing before Alderman Roland B. Downing of Allentown on charges arising out of critical injuries inflicted on his infant son on July 23.
Allentown police contend that Beecher, an airman first class in the Air Force, threw the child to the floor of an apartment while he was living in the 900 block of Linden St. The child, Robert E. Beecher, remains in critical condition in Allentown Hospital. He is being treated for three skull fractures and fractures of the arms and ribs. The child was only 8-weeks-old at the time.
Police said that Beecher had dropped the child a couple weeks earlier while they were living in Springfield, Mass. The baby received a broken left arm that time.
Beecher told Allentown police that he was suddenly seized with what he described as an "emotional urge that completely overcame my sense of reality." Several days after the child had been injured Lehigh County Court ordered Beecher committed to Allentown State Hospital for psychiatric treatment. The Air Force later moved him to Valley Forge.
Yesterday the Air Force requested civil authorities to dispose of the case against him.
7. Newspaper: Morning Call: Main Waives Baby Beating Case Hearing, 24 Dec 1961, Allentown, Lehigh, PA. 13 Robert L. Beecher Jr. 23, of Allentown, who is accused of critically injuring his baby son more than four months ago, waived a hearing before Alderman Rowland Downing yesterday and was bound over for Lehigh County Criminal Court. He is being held in Lehigh County Prison in default of $15,000 bail.
Beecher was charged with aggravated assault and battery and assault with intent to kill.
Beecher, who is an airman first class in the Air Force, allegedly threw his eight-month-old son, Robert E., to the floor in his home at 958 Linden St. The child is in Allentown Hospital with fractures of the skull, arms and ribs. Beecher was committed to Allentown State Hospital and later to Valley Forge where he underwent psychiatric treatment.
8. Newspaper: Morning Call: Father Who Hurt Son Committed, 5 Jan 1962, Allentown, Lehigh, PA. 14 -----
Father Who Hurt Son Committed
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On the recommendation of psychiatrists, the Lehigh County Court yesterday ordered Robert L. Beecher Jr. of Allentown committed to the Farview State Hospital for the Criminal Insane.
The 24-year-old Beecher critically injured his 8-week-old son, Robert E. Beecher, on the afternoon of July 24, when he picked up the child in his home at 958 Linden St by the hands and feet, then threw, him violently to the floor.
Capt. Robert Sperling of Allentown police, prosecutor in the case, told the court that Beecher gave no explanation for the act except to say he was seized with "an emotional urge, that completely overcame my sense of reality."
The child has been in the Allentown Hospital in critical condition ever since, it was stated in court.
"I understand the child will never recover," said Judge James F. Henninger.
District Attorney George J. Joseph asked Capt. Sperling to outline the result of an investigation he had made of the case. Capt. Sperling said that he found the child with a fractured skull, old and new fractures of the arms, and old fractures of four ribs. He said the old fractures apparently came from similar action by the father in Springfield, Mass.
Atty. James C. Lanshe, counsel for Beecher, said it was obvious the problem involved with Beecher was one that did not involve any criminal intent nor animosity toward the child.
He explained that, after the child had been injured and Beecher charged with assault and battery and assault with intent to kill, Beecher had been removed to the Allentown State Hospital.
Since Beecher was an Airman First Class with the Air Force Band at Westover Air Force Base, Springfield, Mass., it was felt at the time a veterans hospital might be the place for him. Accordingly, he was removed to Valley Forge Hospital.
There, however, they "washed their hands of him" some time later.
"I suppose," Lanshe said, "they felt his illness was not a service-connected disability."
Lanshe called Dr. Herbert Heim, of the Allentown State Hospital staff, to give his opinion of Beecher's condition.
"Beecher lis a schizophrenic paranoic type," Dr. Heim said. He usually appears inoffensive and mild mannered, the doctor explained, but has a hostility which can be expressed at a moment's notice toward a child, a dog, or even inanimate objects. "The prognosis is very difficult to make but it is clear enough to indicate that Beecher must be institutionalized for a long time to arrive at a valid opinion as to whether or not he has been cured."
He recommended commitment to the Farview State Hospital.
Judge Henninger then deferred sentence and ordered Beecher to the Lehigh County Prison from where he will be committed to the Farview hospital.
9. Newspaper: Morning Call: Hospital Shifts Allentown Child Hurled to Floor, 27 Mar 1962, Allentown, Lehigh, PA. 15 -----
Hospital Shifts Allentown Child Hurled to Floor
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Ten-month-old Robert E Beecher of Allentown, in a coma from head injuries received in July when thrown to floor by his father, has been transferred from Allentown Hospital to Hamburg State Hospital.
A spokesman at the Hamburg hospital last night said the condition of the child remained the same. The baby, who was 8 weeks old when injured, was considiered in critical condition during his hospitalization in Allentown. He was transferred Friday.
The father, Robert L. Beecher Jr., 23, of 958 Linden St., Allentown, was committed Jan. 4 to Farview State Hospital for the Criminal Insane as a result of his attack against his son July 24.
10. Newspaper: Morning Call: Man Gets Jail Term In Assault on Son, 5 Sep 1962, Allentown, Lehigh, PA. 16 -----
Man Faces Jail In Son's Beating
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A term of from 1 1/2 to 3 years in the Lehigh County Prison was meted out yesterday for a 24-year-old Allentown man who critically injured his infant son in an uncontrollable outburst more than a year ago.
The defendant, Robert L. Beecher Jr., who has been in the Farview Hospital for the Criminal Insane since last Jan. 8, must also pay a fine of $100, plus costs of prosecution.
The infant, Robert E. Beecher, who was 8 weeks old at the time of the assault, is permanently hospitalized without hope of recovery because of the severe damage to his brain.
The father pleaded guilty to counts of aggravated assault and battery and assault with intent to kill.
The case was presented to the court by First Asst. Dist. Atty. Wallace C. Worth Jr. All three of Lehigh's Common Pleas judges were on the bench.
No testimony from the commonwealth's side of the case was heard in court yesterday. The jurists declared they were fa miliar with the facts.
At a hearing in court last January, these facts were presented by Capt. Robert Sperling of the Allentown police department. Beecher, it was testified, on the afternoon of July 24, 1961, picked up his infant son by the hands and feet and threw him to the floor. The attack took place at 958 Linden St., Allentown, where the Beechers then lived.
Investigation showed the child had a fractured skull, new fractures of the arms and old fractures of the ribs. The latter, it was testified, apparently resulted from a similar attack the father made upon the child in Springfield, Mass. Psychiatrists testified at the hearing Jan. 4 that Beecher is a "schizophrenic paranoic type' who needs institutional care "for a long time" before a "cure" can be certain. He was not mentally responsible for the attack upon the child, psychiatrists have further declared.
After the child was injured and Beecher had been charged with the criminal counts, he was removed to Allentown State Hospital. Since he was an airman first class with the U. S. Air Force Band at Westover Air Force Base, Springfield, Mass., there was an attempt to have Beecher treated at a veterans hospital. After a short time at the Valley Forge Hospital, however, he was returned to Allentown, the Air Force decreeing he was not a service-connected disability.
On the recommendation of state hospital authorities at the Jan. 4 hearing, sentence was deferred and he was committed to Farview.
Farview authorities report he has "gained maximum benefit from hospitalization. . . and there is nothing to be gained by further hospitalization."
Beecher's counsel, Atty. James C. Lanshe, pointing out that the man was not mentally liable for the act committed July 24, 1961, and emphasizing he appears to be a changed man with a new personality since hospitalization, asked that he be released to his parents, who will aid him in rehabilitation.
Judge James F. Henninger noted that as a result of Beecher's act, there is a child in a hospital bed "vegetating, needing constant care."
"The only hope the child has," the court observed, "is that some day it will be relieved by death."
'Not Ready' for Release
Judge Henninger declared: "We are not ready to have him released to society."
He thereupon handed down the prison sentence, which dates from last Jan. 4.
Beecher is still technically a member of the Air Force but is due to be discharged, Worth informed the court.
Since the attack upon the child, Force decreeing his was not a Beecher's wife has started divorce proceedings against him,
Lanshe noted. The unsuccessful marriage, which psychiatrists have said was a source of Beecher's hostility, is therefore to be eliminated, Lanshe concluded.
11. Sold 125 S. 14th St., Allentown, PA on 26 Apr 1985 in Allentown, Lehigh, PA. 17
12. Residence: 1518 Kentwell Ct, Lancaster, OH, 43130-8454 in 1996 in Lancaster, Fairfield, OH. 18
13. Obituary: Allentown Morning Call: obituary of Robert L. Beecher Jr. on 9 Sep 2003 in Allentown, Lehigh, PA. 3 Robert L. Beecher Jr., 66, of Allentown, died Sept. 3 in his home. He was married to Sandra E. (Willey) Beecher.
Born in of Allentown, he was a son of the late Robert L. Sr. and Arline (Davis) Beecher.
An Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War, he was a member of the American Legion Post 576, Allentown.
Survivors: Wife; three children; four grandchildren.
Robert married Darlene Evelyn White, daughter of LeRoy R. White and Evelyn H. Konopka. (Darlene Evelyn White was born on 5 Apr 1944 in Scranton, Lackawanna, PA 19.)
Robert next married Sandra E. Willey, daughter of Chester Ray Willey and Eleanor Bornmann Demmy. (Sandra E. Willey was born on 15 Oct 1944 in Astoria, Queens, NY, USA,5 7 20 21 22 died on 5 Mar 2017 in Allentown, Lehigh, PA 7 22 and was buried on 11 Mar 2017 in Allentown: Greenwood Cemetery, Lehigh, PA 7 22.)
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