Delco man held for trial in death of girlfriend's son

A Delaware County man was ordered held for trial yesterday on charges that he shook a 4-year-old boy so hard that the vertebrae in the child's neck dislocated, killing him.

At a preliminary hearing, a judge ruled that Stephen Fischere, 26, of Aldan, will stand trial on all charges, including murder, assault, and recklessly endangering another person, in the April 28 death of Zander Grogan. The boy was the son of Fischere's girlfriend.

According to police, Zander died of multiple blunt-force trauma and neck injuries consistent with a violent shaking. Fischere, who denied hurting the child, said he believed Zander tripped on the straps of a child car seat outside their apartment, fell down the stairs, and stopped breathing. Zander was pronounced dead that evening at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby.

Fischere, according to court records, has a criminal history that includes receiving stolen property in 2003. In 2005, he pleaded guilty to dealing drugs. - Mari A. Schaefer