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Matthew Bruinsma 3 weeks old Died from shaking injuries The day after Peter Bruinsma nearly shook his three-week-old son, he wrote the little boy a letter he'll never read. "I cannot take away the pain I caused you, but I do love you more than anything in this world," he wrote. "I wish I could trade lives with you and give you mine. That still wouldn't be enough and I hope with all my heart that you get well soon." Matthew lived with his injuries only a short time. He died less then five months later on New Year's Day. Twenty-year-old Bruinsma pleaded guilty to manslaughter for shaking Matthew. According to a statement of facts, Bruinsma and Nancy Yousef had been dating for two years before Matthew's birth. Then 19, she kept their relationship a secret from her strict Muslim family. She didn't tell them when she got pregnant for fear her mother would make her get an abortion. The couple contemplated adoption, but when Matthew was born, they decided to keep him. Bruinsma's parents agreed to let Yousef and the baby live with him in their home. On Aug. 19, Matthew had been crying for over an hour when Bruinsma got up to tend to him about 6 a.m. He took the baby upstairs so Yousef could sleep and he could watch TV. His parents were away and his brother was in the shower. Bruinsma later told police he became frustrated when his efforts to comfort Matthew failed. He said he picked up Matthew under his arms and shook him eight or nine times because he "wanted him to be quiet." When he put the baby down, he stopped breathing and his lips turned blue. Bruinsma quickly called his brother, Yousef and 911. Matthew ended up at the University of Alberta Hospital. Doctors determined his brain injury and fractures of the skull, collarbone, ribs and both legs were the result of shaking. Police interviewed Bruinsma the next day. He acknowledged shaking the boy and wrote an apology to his son. "I'm not making any excuses for what I have done," the letter says. "It was wrong and now I'm going to pay for what I did. Don't ever forget that I love you." Police charged Bruinsma with aggravated assault. In mid October, Matthew was released from the hospital to a medical foster home. He had seizures, poor head control and no active movements in his limbs. He couldn't suck so he had to have a feeding tube in his stomach. He had trouble breathing and swallowing. His foster mother woke up New Year's Day to find him lifeless. She called 911 but Matthew wasn't resuscitated, according to an order signed by his doctor and Yousef. An autopsy showed the cause of death was pneumonia and toxic levels of the drug he was regularly given to help him sleep -- both of which were the result of his head injuries, the medical examiner said. Dr. Graeme Dowling also said a skull fracture showed Matthew also suffered "blunt impact trauma." Police then charged Bruinsma with second-degree murder. The Crown and defense lawyers told provincial court Judge Michael Stevens-Guille they'll be asking for a jail term of two years or more. Peter Bruinsma's Letter to Matthew: Dear Matthew, I cannot take away the pain I caused you but I do love you more than anything in this world. What I did was wrong and it will stay with me for the rest of my life. I know that there is nothing I can do to make you better. I don't really know why I did what I did but hopefully I will understand later on. I know you will probably hate me the rest of your life, but if you could find it in your heart to forgive me that would be your choice. I'm not making any excuses for what I have done. It was wrong and now I'm going to pay for what I did. Don't ever forget that I love you, it may not seem like it, for what I did, but I really do. I hope with all my heart that you get well soon. I know that you may have some problems later but I will be there every step of the way to help you through them. Your Dad
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