Witness grilled in Montgomery County baby-death case

Michael Leflar, the former husband of a woman accused in the death of an infant in her care 20 years ago, admitted on the witness stand Friday that he implicated her "because she was coming for custody of my son."

"I just had one idea and that was going for help," Leflar told the jury of eight men and four women in a courtroom in Norristown. "My son's life was in danger. I feared for him. I went for help."

Melissa Haskell, Leflar's former wife and a Bridgeport nanny at age 18, is on trial in Montgomery County Court, accused of third-degree murder in the killing of 5-month-old Ryan Baurley.

The death of the baby on Aug. 26, 1992, was first attributed to sudden infant death syndrome. But the case was reopened last year, after Leflar told police Haskell had admitted she put her hands over the child's mouth and nose that day, until he stopped breathing.

Leflar, a laborer for an excavation contractor, underwent a withering half-day of cross-examination from defense counsel Martin Mullaney.

Mullaney cast doubt on Leflar's ability to recall the date and circumstances of Haskell's admission; his meetings with police; who attended the meetings; and the details of his conviction on a theft of services charge.

But "you want the jury to to believe that something that happened 13 years ago, you got that right," said Mullaney.

"Very right," Leflar replied.

Mullaney forced Leflar to admit that he married Haskell even though he didn't love or trust her.

"We got married because Missy was pregnant due to a one-night stand," Leflar testified. "Before that night, I hadn't seen her for two to three years. I was drinking and things happened."

Mullaney hammered away at Leflar's failure to alert police to Haskell's tale of alleged homicide.

"You didn't report this homicide to anyone," Mullaney said. "Instead, you got engaged to the murderer, you got married to the murderer, you had a baby with the murderer."

Leflar replied that in 2006, he had told a state trooper. "I guess nobody cared because nothing happened," Leflar testified.

Detectives tracked down the trooper, Henry Callithan, who corroborated Leflar's story on the witness stand but said the accusation went nowhere because Upper Merion detectives failed to match the information with any specific case.

Mullaney got Leflar to admit that last year, after Haskell had filed for shared custody of the pair's son, Michael, he threatened to take Haskell's admission to authorities.

Leflar distrusted Haskell because she is a recovering heroin addict, dependent on methadone since 2009. Leflar testified that he feared she might hurt their son the way she said she had smothered Ryan while withdrawing from heroin.

"I called her and said if she even thought she would take my son, I would go to the cops with that baby-killing thing," Leflar testified.

The case continues at 1 p.m. Monday before Judge Garrett D. Page.