This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Posted: 10:08 PM- A daylong hearing held today will determine whether a man who pleaded guilty to murdering his 20-month-old son last June will have any hope of parole.
Jason Miko Putnam, 24, faces either life in prison without parole or 20 years to life with the possibility of parole for first-degree felony aggravated murder.
After hearing witnesses presented from the state and the defense, a 4th District judge said he will issue a sentence within the next two weeks.
Although Putnam initially told police his baby son hurt himself falling off a bed, an American Fork police officer testified that Putnam eventually admitted he had become upset with the boy and struck him on the head repeatedly until he went limp.
A medical examiner described the skull fractures that caused Jordan Putnam's death, as well as strangulation injuries to his neck and a blow to the abdomen that caused severe internal bleeding. There were knuckle marks visible in the bruising to the skull, he said.
Two of Putnam's sisters-in-law testified that their children loved when Putnam baby-sat them and had never seen him behave violently. Putnam's wife, Mary Putnam, testified that her husband was a good father who had loved Jordan and their 5-year-old daughter.
"Everybody makes mistakes . . . but he's a good person," Mary Putnam said. "My little girl . . . loves her papa and needs him to come home."
She and other family members said that while Putnam should be held accountable for his actions, he should not be given life without parole.
Putnam tearfully told the judge he was sorry and ready to accept whatever the consequences of his actions might be.
Prosecutor Jeff Buhman asked the judge not to allow Putnam the possibility of parole.
"In a crime such as this one where a parent has not just killed his son but physically tormented him, brutalized him . . . the demands of justice far outweigh the defendant's needs," he said.