Marysville man gets 7 years in prison for assaulting infant daughter

Published 10:24 pm Wednesday, January 28, 2009

A Marysville man was sentenced to seven years in prison Wednesday for breaking the bones in his infant daughter’s legs in three places.

The punishment for Eric Earl Holzknecht, 23, was about a year longer than recommended under state sentencing guidelines. The extra time behind bars reflected the vulnerability of the girl, who was hurt on more than one occasion in 2007 when she was about 2 months old, Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Larry McKeeman said.

“It’s hard to be more helpless than somebody between birth and 2 months,” the judge said.

Holzknecht maintained he did not deliberately hurt his child and told officials the girl’s injuries likely came from rough handling during diaper changes, according to court papers.

Doctors who treated the girl said the fractures in her right femur and the tibia bones in both legs indicated the mistreatment occurred more than once and involved significant force.

A jury in November found Holzknecht guilty of two counts of second-degree child assault and one count of third-degree child assault.

McKeeman presided over the trial. The evidence showed the injuries resulted from conduct “well beyond a little rough handling,” he said.

Holzknecht’s attorney, Karen Halvorsen, said the defendant hadn’t engaged in conduct severe enough to warrant punishment beyond the minimum, about five years in prison.

“We don’t have somebody who is trying to harm somebody, who is sadistic,” she said.

The courtroom on Wednesday was packed with Holzknecht’s family and friends. He said little except to thank them for their support.