Indiana man beats gilfriend's two-month-old baby to death because the child spat milk on him
BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA: Indiana police revealed a 19-year-old man murdered his girlfriend's two-month-old baby after the infant spat milk on him.
Authorities found the baby in critical condition with injuries on its face at Health Bloomington Hospital around 5.31 pm on Tuesday and subsequently arrested 19-year-old Dakota King, New York Daily News reports.
The child, whose identity or gender were not released for legal reasons, reportedly died before officers arrived at the hospital.
King allegedly squeezed the baby and shoved it face-down in a bassinet in a bid to stop the child from crying, family members told the police.
Investigators subsequently searched King's residence on the 1500 block of West Kirkwood Avenue and found a reddish-brown stain in the infant's cabinet that appeared to be blood.The stain was found to be consistent with the apparent injuries to the baby's face, police said. During interrogation, King told authorities he had become enraged after the baby spat milk on him earlier in the day.
“King was interviewed and admitted to investigators that he had gotten angry earlier in the day when the child spit up milk on his clothing,” a statement sent to the Daily News read.
King responded by placing the baby face-down in the bassinet and pushed the back of the child's delicate head, causing it to cry.
Then, in a bid to make the crying stop, King pressed the baby's head deeper into the pillow. The infant eventually fell silent. The 19-year-old left the baby in the bassinet until the child's mother returned from work to find it wasn't breathing, according to police.
The baby was rushed to a nearby hospital where staff noticed “several inconsistencies” in statements made by King, police said.
Authorities are now waiting for the results of an autopsy that was completed on Wednesday.
According to online court records, King has been charged with murder and three other felonies in the case.
King is remanded in custody until his initial hearing scheduled for Friday in Monroe County, where the State of Indiana is seeking life in prison without the possibility of parole, the Indianapolis Star reports.