FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — After nearly three months of treatment in the Rehabilitation Unit at Valley Children’s, six-month-old Braxton Musselman has been released from the hospital, an emotional milestone for his family following a January incident that left him seriously injured.

Applause and cheers marked the moment Braxton left the hospital, cradled in his mother’s arms, after weeks of steady progress.

Despite the improvements, his parents say they are bracing for a long and uncertain recovery.

“What we can expect is left-side deficits, fine motor skills, things of that nature,” said his father, Chris Musselman.

The family’s ordeal began Jan. 13, when Braxton’s mother, Tori Nelson, received a call from her son’s babysitter, Tonya Hamilton, saying the infant was unresponsive. Chris said the call was devastating.

“When you hear that news, it’s hard to accept and I think it’s very natural to automatically think the worst,” he said.

Doctors later told the parents that Braxton’s injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome.

On March 4, the Madera County District Attorney charged Hamilton, 51, with child abuse. She later pleaded not guilty.

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Asked about hearing the not guilty plea while holding her injured child, Nelson said, “I don’t know — that’s a hard one to answer.”

If convicted, Hamilton could face a sentence of seven years to life in prison.

Chris said he believes the legal process will bring accountability.

“She’s going to get what she deserves and those are the demons that she has to battle,” he said.

Hamilton had been caring for Braxton after being introduced to Nelson through a family friend. Chris said the couple trusted her at the time.

“It was just somebody that we thought we could trust,” he said.

That sense of trust, the parents say, has been deeply shaken.

Nelson said the experience has made the idea of leaving her son in someone else’s care especially difficult.

“He’s my little baby and the idea of trusting him with anybody else is hard,” she said.

As the family begins the next chapter of Braxton’s recovery at home, Musselman said his son’s resilience has been clear throughout the ordeal.

“Poor baby didn’t deserve to have to go through this, but he’s strong — that’s for sure,” he said.

Hamilton’s next court appearance is scheduled for May.

In the meantime, Braxton is expected to return to Valley Children’s in less than two weeks for a follow-up evaluation to assess his progress.

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