Steven Strahm: Florida dad who brutally killed 2-month-old daughter gets 23.3 years in prison
If you or anyone you know suspects child abuse, you are urged to immediately call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA: A Florida father has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison after admitting to brutally killing his 2-month-old daughter in 2020 by repeatedly throwing the infant into a wall and then dropping her on her head. According to court documents, Circuit Judge Jeb Branham sentenced 28-year-old Steven Michael Strahm to 23.5 years in state prison on Tuesday, April 18 for the horrific killing of infant Scarlet Strahm.
Strahm pled guilty to one count each of second-degree murder and severe child abuse last month as part of a settlement worked out with prosecutors from the state attorney's office. Prosecutors dismissed a child negligence prosecution they had planned to bring against him in return for his plea, reports Law & Crime. In a child abuse case that was heard in Florida this year, Emmanuelle Vazquez, 33, was charged with one count each of felony murder and child abuse and murder of his son Julius ‘JJ’ Vazquez. He was sentenced to life in prison immediately after the verdict.
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What happened to baby Scarlet?
According to court records, Scarlet was taken to the University of Florida Health Center emergency room on December 11, 2020, after her mother noticed the child having a seizure. Authorities allege Strahm admitted to "accidentally dropping her" while her mother was at work after tests revealed Scarlet had suffered an internal brain bleed. Scarlet was taken to the hospital's intensive care unit for treatment.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office received a report written by a Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) investigator for further investigation. The case was transferred to the JSO's Special Assault Unit on December 14, 2020. The University of Florida Child Protection Team's early medical and risk assessment found that Scarlet had suffered "abusive head trauma indicative of physical abuse" and "a fractured knee that investigators said was indicative of physical abuse," according to investigators In addition, she exhibited signs of medical abuse.
What did Judge Branham say?
Strahm was taken to the JSO Police Memorial Building for questioning after being named as a prime suspect in the abuse investigation. He allegedly confessed to inflicting the injuries on his newborn daughter and was subsequently arrested. Judge Branham released an outline of Strahm's testimony in a 2021 court order, but the section of the probable cause statement for Strahm's arrest describing his police interrogation remains redacted. "The charges stem from allegations that [Strahm]: (1) threw [Scarlet] against a wall four or five times between December 6, 2020, and December 9, 2020, with a great amount of force and (2) dropped [Scarlet] on December 11, 2020, causing her to hit her head; (3) failed to seek medical attention because he was fearful [redacted]," Branham said. "According to the probable cause affidavit upon medical examination, the child suffered from head injuries and seizures sufficiently severe to cause anoxic injury to the left side of her brain."
What did the autopsy reveal?
Complete loss of oxygen to the brain can lead to anoxic brain injury. Scarlet received hospice care for two weeks before she was officially pronounced dead on January 3, 2021. The newborn died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head, according to an additional autopsy performed by the Duval County Medical Examiner's Office. Strahm, who had previously been charged with aggravated child abuse, was later accused of killing Scarlet.
What did Scarlet's mother say?
Breeana Kilzer, the child's mother, wrote a victim impact statement that was read by a family representative before the sentence was announced, according to WJXT. "You broke me. You took the best part of me away and you broke me," the statement reportedly read. "I never got to hear her giggle. I never got to watch her crawl, hear her first words, or watch her take her first steps. She should be two and a half and probably the most amazing person, now but I'll never know."
In 2021, Scarlet's family has established a GoFundMe page. The family also used the hashtag #westandforscarlet during the trial.