Orlando father charged with manslaughter in death of toddler who was shaken in 2023

An Orlando man is facing an upgraded charge of aggravated manslaughter after his young son passed away following more than three years on life support due to severe injuries sustained from child abuse.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office announced this week that 34-year-old Malcolm Nelson was served with an arrest warrant for aggravated manslaughter while already in custody at Volusia County Jail for a probation violation.

The new charge was filed after a final medical examiner’s report indicated that the death of Nelson’s three-and-a-half-year-old son, Noah, was a homicide caused by “complications of abusive head trauma,” according to VCSO.

Back on January 24, 2023, Noah was just three months old when he lost consciousness at an Ormond Beach home and went into cardiac arrest. He was rushed to a local hospital, where doctors determined that he had suffered severe brain injuries and fractures from “physical abuse” that included “violent shaking.”  

VCSO stated that during its initial investigation, detectives determined that Nelson had shaken Noah in the past, including the morning his son became unresponsive. Nelson was subsequently arrested in October 2023.

Nelson pleaded no contest to a charge of aggravated child abuse and was sentenced to 180 days in jail, two years of community control, and 13 years of probation, according to the sheriff’s office.

Following the 2023 hospitalization, Noah never showed signs of recovery and remained on life support for over three years. In April of this year, Noah was released from the hospital into hospice care at his home, where he passed away a few days later.

Volusia County detectives reportedly remained in contact with the State Attorney’s Office and the Medical Examiner’s Office over the past few years. Authorities had previously announced their intention to pursue upgraded charges against Nelson if his son’s autopsy and medical records “supported a finding of homicide.”

This week, the medical examiner officially ruled Noah’s death a homicide. Detectives obtained a warrant on a new aggravated manslaughter charge on Friday, June 26, and it was served to Nelson while he remains in custody at Volusia County Jail.