Bruce Watson, 46, [of Bristol, New Hampshire] was charged Tuesday with reckless second-degree murder in the 2008 death of Brian Wiggin, who was four months old when Watson shook him hard enough to cause permanent brain damage. Watson pleaded guilty in 1991 to second-degree assault and was sentenced to 2 ½ to seven years in prison.

Brian Wiggin died June 9, 2008, after 18 years of being unable to walk, talk, see or cry. A feeding tube nourished him and he suffered seizures daily.

Dr. Thomas Andrew, chief medical examiner, determined after an autopsy that Brian’s death was a direct result of the injuries Watson inflicted on him as a baby. His death was ruled a homicide.

In 1989, Watson lived with Brian’s mother, Tammy Wiggin, and baby-sat her two sons while she worked at a convenience store.