A man is facing criminal homicide charges stemming from a shaken baby incident that occurred in Monroe County nearly a quarter of a century ago.

Christopher John Barber, 46, of Plainfield, Illinois, was charged with homicide last month in connection with the death of his son, Christopher Kostenbader.In 1992, Barber pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for shaking the victim, then a 2-month-old infant, and dropping him onto a couch. At the time, doctors said the infant showed signs of shaken baby syndrome.The incident left the infant in a persistent vegetative state, which required him to be hospitalized on a ventilator and feeding tube for the duration of his life.Kostenbader died May 5, 2015. A forensic autopsy determined that the cause of death was homicide. After serving his sentence for aggravated assault, Barber left the area and relocated to Illinois.Barber was arraigned on Wednesday in court in Monroe County and denied bail.He is being held at Monroe County Correctional Facility until his trial.A preliminary hearing is set for March 14 before District Judge JoLana Krawitz of Stroudsburg.According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by trooper Brandon Horlacher and trooper Nicholas De La Iglesia of the Pennsylvania State Police:On Oct. 23, 1991, Christopher Kostenbader was born at Pocono Medical Center and was later released from the hospital and into the care of his parents, Kandy Jo Kostenbader and Barber.Kandy Jo Kostenbader said her son was a typical newborn baby who had multiple normal checkups and thrived until the assault, which took place on Dec. 31 of that year.The infant, then age 2 months and eight days, was reportedly found unresponsive in the living room of his residence.His parents took him to Pocono Medical Center, where he was transported by helicopter to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.Dr. Catherine Wallace examined the infant and diagnosed him as suffering from shaken baby syndrome.Wallace said the first sign of shaken baby syndrome she observed was that the infant's head was abnormally large, an indicator of increased pressure in the brain, resulting in swelling.Wallace said medical records indicated the baby's head circumference at birth was 35.5 centimeters. Upon admission at Geisinger Medical Center, it was 41.5 centimeters, well beyond normal growth, and a sign of trauma.'Tons of damage'Wallace also observed the baby had multiple bilateral retinal hemorrhages. An ophthalmic exam earlier that month showed normal results, indicating that the retinal hemorrhages were the result of a recent injury.Scans of the baby's brain showed "tons of damage," and rib fractures, according to the affidavit.Christopher was diagnosed as suffering from shaken baby syndrome.On Jan. 29, 1992, trooper Joseph Sommers and trooper Richard Houseman interviewed Kostenbader and Barber at the hospital.On Feb. 5, Pennsylvania State Police Lehighton interviewed Barber and he confessed to shaking, dropping and throwing the victim.Barber admitted to shaking Christopher two or three times before the incident on Dec. 31, 1991.Barber said that he remembered dropping the infant once onto the bed from a height of about 1 foot to 18 inches above the bed.Barber said that morning, he was feeding Christopher, who would not stop crying, and he remembered yelling at the victim and he shook him once that morning.Barber said that he threw Christopher down on the couch. The shaking wasn't that rough, he said, but the drop on the couch was, because Christopher bounced at least twice when he hit the couch.On March 13, 1992, Sommers contacted Kevin Jacoby, social services caseworker at the Hershey Medical Center, and learned that Christopher's condition had not improved, and he remained in a vegetative state.Jacoby saidKostenbader and Barber met with Hershey Medical Center doctors on March 3, 1992, and they had not returned to visit the baby since.On that day, Barber was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, and endangering the welfare of children.Barber pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to five to 10 years in jail.After the assault on Dec. 31, 1991, Christopher's condition never improved, and he remained in a permanent vegetative state.He remained hospitalized, on a ventilator, and was fed through a feeding tube for the duration of his life.On May 5, 2015, Christopher Kostenbader, age 23, was pronounced dead at Grandview Hospital, Sellersville, Bucks County.An autopsy was performed and the cause of death was determined to be complications due to the severe head injury that occurred in 1991 at the hands of Barber.The coroner of Bucks County ruled the death a homicide.