TWIN FALLS • The trial of a 20-year-old man accused of causing the death of a 3-year-old boy last August has been rescheduled for Oct. 15.
Previous trials were set in February and June. Buddenhagen waived his right to a speedy trial in a Jan. 4 hearing.
The Twin Falls man was indicted by a Twin Falls County grand jury on first-degree murder on Aug. 24, 2011. If convicted, Buddenhagen could face life in prison or the death penalty.
He is accused of causing severe head trauma to the young boy, whose identity was not disclosed in court documents.
According to court documents, emergency personnel responded to an apartment complex at 512 Jefferson St. in Twin Falls at about 7:30 a.m. Aug. 6, 2011, where officers found Buddenhagen in an apartment with the child lying on the floor of one of the bedrooms.
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Buddenhagen allegedly told police the boy had been taking a bath. He said he left the bathroom and heard a loud sound, returning to find the boy on the floor. Buddenhagen, who is not related to the boy, said he moved the child to a bedroom and called 9-1-1.
Later, a doctor at St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center told police he believed the child was shaken, based on bruises on the child and the results of a CT scan, and called the injuries “severe child abuse.”
The child was later taken to a Boise hospital, where he died on Aug. 7.