Draper father accused of abusing infant twins, causing lifelong scars, doctors say

DRAPER – A Draper man is facing felony charges accusing him of abusing his infant twins.

Eric Johan Feldkircher, 37, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with two counts of child abuse, a second-degree felony.

Feldkircher was supposed to be caring for her 7-week-old twins but was seen on video “dropping them, shaking them, rocking them with their feet, banging their heads on objects and being generally aggressive with them,” according to charging documents.

Feldkircher reported that when her children cried, they made cat-like noises, which doctors “said was a sign of brain trauma,” the allegations state.

According to court documents, Feldkircher called the children's mother in September to say they were acting abnormally and “the children were constantly crying and making cat-like noises,” which sparked the investigation. The infants were examined by doctors and immediately referred to the primary children's hospital.

During their investigation, police executed a search warrant on video baby monitors in the home. Detectives found a video showing Feldkircher moving one of the twins “from side to side, before putting (him) into the crib with one hand. And then dropping him a few inches off the mattress and jumping (him) off the mattress,” the charges allege.

He then “grabs the infant by the legs and rolls him from front to back between his legs and then backwards, where it appears (the boy) may have been hit in the front of the head with an unknown object,” the charges state. “He does this three times before putting (the child) on the mat.”

A doctor “reported both babies had ruptured bridging veins, retinal hemorrhages and possible spinal cord injuries. Both babies will have lifelong seizures and are likely to develop cerebral palsy,” according to the charges. Doctors told police the twins would have problems “seeing, walking and eating.”

Prosecutors have requested that Feldkircher be held in the Salt Lake County Jail pending trial.