Grand Jury Indicts Middletown Soldier For Murder of Infant

A grand jury in upstate New York has indicted a former Middletown resident and decorated wounded Army soldier in connection with the death of a 4-month-old infant girl that he and his wife were in the process of adopting.

, 23, has been charged with second-degree murder, as well as first- and second-degree manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a child and reckless assault of a child, the Watertown Daily Times and other Fort Drum area publications have reported.

The grand jury handed up the indictment on Tuesday in Jefferson County Court, the publication's website reported. Additional details from the case were also reportedly revealed from the indictment, including allegations that on March 23 Sliker caused the infant's death by repeatedly hitting her head against a hard surface at his home. The child's cause of death has been listed as blunt force trauma.

Sliker, a native Rhode Islander who grew up in Middletown, has been stationed at Fort Drum since June 2008.

His Facebook page lists himself as a 2007 graduate of and serving in the 11B Infantry of the U.S. Army since April of 2008.

Following his arraignment in Watertown, NY in March, his brother James Sliker of Massachusetts spoke with television reporters and described his brother's 2009 injuries suffered from an attack with an improvised explosives device (IED) that also left him with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. His brother's interview with WNYF FOX-28 is available to be viewed here. Silker reportedly received combat medals that include a Purple Heart for his injuries. 

At Middletown High School, Sliker played on the varsity football team as an offensive lineman and defensive lineman during the 2006-2007 season, according to athletic records posted at MaxPreps.