Charges filed against father of Oliver child who died last year
The father of an 11-year-old Oliver child who died last year was charged with murder this week by a Bucks County police department.
Bensalem Township police charged Kyle T. Hinkle, 38, of Allentown, on Monday with third-degree murder.
The charges against Hinkle stem from the Feb. 16, 2024 death of Leonardo Ramon Hinkle.
Fayette County Coroner Bob Baker said in March that an investigation found Leonardo Hinkle had died of blunt force trauma as a result of abuse he suffered more than a decade ago.
In 2012, Kyle Hinkle was arrested for shaking his son when he was 3 months old. Online court records showed that Kyle Hinkle pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, simple assault and endangering the welfare of a child, and he was sentenced to 12 to 24 months in prison and two years of probation.
Bensalem Township police posted to their Facebook page that Leonardo Hinkle’s death last year was the result of complications related to the initial abuse.
Fayette County District Attorney Michael Aubele said Leonardo Hinkle had lived in Bucks County with his father at the time.
“When he was an infant, there was a shaken baby incident. He was bedridden (and needed) around the clock care because of it,” Aubele said.
Aubele added he and Baker had spoken to officials in Bucks County about the jurisdiction issue.
“Ultimately, that is where it happened, so that’s where it is being prosecuted,” Aubele said.
According to Aubele, Kyle Hinkle had no contact with his son since the 2012 arrest.
The district attorney extended credit to Baker for the investigation that ultimately led to the murder charge.
“It would be real easy to just let something like this go, but he wanted to make sure this little boy got justice more than a decade after this incident happened. And we certainly appreciate that,” Aubele said.
Bensalem Township police arrested Hinkle in Allentown on Monday. District Judge Michael Gallagher sent him to the Bucks County jail on $2 million bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. Dec. 2.