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The following was taken from a press release distributed by the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office on February 9, 2026.
CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. – District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway announces that Anthony Eugene Manzi, 39, pled guilty on February 5 to three counts of cruelty to children in the first degree. Manzi was sentenced, as negotiated, to 20 years with the first 15 years to serve in prison and the remainder on probation. In Georgia, the maximum sentence for cruelty to a child in the first degree is 20 years in prison.
Manzi admitted to inflicting a traumatic brain injury on his infant son, slapping the child in the face, and failing to promptly seek medical care. The child survived the assault but continues to suffer physical and intellectual limitations.
The Cherokee Sheriff’s Office began investigating the case on August 15, 2024, after a 5-month-old boy with serious injuries was treated at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital and later transferred to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) at Scottish Rite.
Manzi told detectives that on August 14, 2024, the boy “would not stop screaming” and looked like he was in pain. On the morning of August 15, 2024, he said the child appeared dazed and had difficulty feeding. Manzi admitted that he slapped the baby in the face “really [expletive] hard.” He then laid the baby down for a nap, at which point the child vomited and began to have seizures.
At 10:19 a.m. on August 15, 2024, Manzi sent the child’s mother a video via Facebook Messenger. In the video, the baby was taking gasping breaths, and his body was jerking as his head moved upward then fell limply to the side. His right eye was deviated, and the left side of his face was red and swollen. Approximately an hour later, Manzi arrived at the mother’s workplace and told her they needed to go to the hospital.
Medical personnel at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital provided initial treatment, including intubating the child due to respiratory failure, before transferring him to CHOA for more advanced care.
The CHOA Child Protection Team determined the child’s lethargy, vomiting, seizures, and respiratory failure were caused by brain bleeds and swelling consistent with abusive head trauma from a rapid acceleration/deceleration event and/or extraordinary rotational forces. These injuries and symptoms are commonly seen when infants are violently shaken.
While Manzi admitted to law enforcement that he slapped the baby on August 15, 2024, investigators believe the injuries reflect additional, undisclosed episodes of abuse in the days leading up to the child’s hospitalization.
The Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) became involved, and the child was placed in foster care for his safety. He is now in the process of being adopted.
“This defenseless baby had a lifetime ahead of him, and in seconds this defendant inflicted a violent injury from which he will never fully recover,” said Assistant District Attorney Leyna Pope of the Special Victims Unit, who prosecuted this case on behalf of the State. “After enduring so much, this little boy continues to show incredible strength and resilience.”
Superior Court Judge Jennifer L. Davis sentenced Manzi as negotiated. For the entirety of his sentence, Manzi is forbidden to have contact with the victim or with anyone under the age of 18.
“This case is a devastating reminder that infants are completely dependent on the adults entrusted with their care,” said District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway. “When that trust is violated, the consequences can be lifelong. The sentence imposed reflects the seriousness of that betrayal and ensures this defendant will no longer pose a danger to a child who had no ability to protect himself.”
The case was investigated by the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Leyna Pope, of the Special Victims Unit, Office of the District Attorney, Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit.