SALISBURY — A 30-year-old local man pleaded guilty in Rowan Superior Court Aug. 23 to second-degree murder and child abuse in the death of one child and the permanent disability of another.

David Alan Brady was initially arrested in March of 2022 following the 2020 death of his girlfriend’s child, Waylon Blake Thompson. In that case, Salisbury Police said the child had been brought to the hospital with injuries consistent with abuse, and the child did not survive. According to court records, the medical examiner determined the child’s death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head. At that time, Brady, then 27, lived with the child and the child’s mother and was a suspect in the child’s death, but was only charged with felony child abuse of an infant and given a $500,000 bond.

One year later, Brady’s partner gave birth to Brady’s biological son, Matthew. According to information released by special prosecutors from the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys, “during the first three months of his life, (Matthew) sustained several injuries including multiple closed rib fractures, malnutrition, cervical vertebra fractures, spinal cord injury, respiratory failure and quadriparesis. The injuries were similar to the ones that led to the death of his half brother, Waylon.”

Matthew was admitted to the emergency room of a local hospital in March of 2022, and Brady was initially charged with abuse of Waylon. Over time, investigators were eventually able to link Brady back to Waylon’s death because of Matthew’s case. In March of 2024, Brady was arrested in connection with both cases and charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, felony child abuse resulting in serious physical injury and neglect child abuse resulting in serious physical injury.

The case was prosecuted by Whitney Belich and Jacob “Kyle” Smith, both resource prosecutors for the Conference of District Attorneys.

On Friday, Aug. 23, Brady plead guilty under the Alford Doctrine to the second-degree murder and felony child abuse of the two children in his home and in his care. As a result, Brady will spend the next 15-19 years in prison for abusing his infant son and murdering the child of his domestic partner. Pleading under the Alford Doctrine means a defendant acknowledges the state has enough evidence to convict them, while still maintaining their innocence.

Superior Court Judge Clifton H. Smith sentenced Brady in the aggravated range after finding that Brady, as a caregiver to the children, was in a position of trust when he abused the boys. Clifton sentenced Brady to serve 184 to 234 months in the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections. Brady was exposed to a maximum sentence of 572 months (more than 47 years) for both charges. No mitigating factors were presented in court.

“The investigation and dedication of (then) Sgt. Russell DeSantis of the Salisbury Police Department and Special Agent Charles Broyhill of the State Bureau of Investigation led to Brady finally facing justice,” said prosecutor Kyle Smith.

In describing the abuse of Matthew, who is now a quadriplegic and who will need care for the rest of his life, Smith wrote, “the defendant willfully…showed a reckless disregard for human life by committing a grossly negligent omission, failing to property provide the child with necessary nutrition and failing to seek medical care, in the care of Matthew Brady. The defendant’s omission resulted in serious bodily injury, malnutrition and failure to thrive. At the time the defendant committed the offense, the defendant was the parent of the child.”

“These were two sweet, little boys who had just begun their lives,” said Belich. “I’m so thankful for Matthew’s caregiver who is now in the process of adopting him. He will face a lot of challenges because of the abuse he endured, but today is a day of accountability for him and his brother who he never had the chance to meet.”

Rowan County District Attorney Brandy Cook stated that she appreciated the work of Prosecutors Kyle Smith and Whitney Belich with the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys, who were assigned the cases, to hold Brady accountable for his criminal conduct. Cook also said she appreciated the investigation conducted by the Salisbury Police Department.

“It is tragic any time there is a loss of life, especially that of a child,” she said. “Investigations such as this one are heart wrenching for everyone involved.”