An Arizona father has been charged with murder in connection with the death of his 4-week-old daughter, allegedly admitting to police that he struck the baby because she was “crying too much.”
Jonathan Enriquez, 22, has been charged with first-degree murder and child abuse, according to a Mesa Police Department press release obtained by PEOPLE.
Police said they responded to an incident of a “baby not breathing” at an apartment complex on Covina Street in Mesa, Arizona, just before 9 a.m. local time on July 11.
First responders attempted “life-saving measures” to revive the baby before transporting her to the hospital, where she remained in critical condition. On July 26, she was finally “declared dead at the hospital.”
According to the release, officers “reported that the baby choked while being fed a bottle.” However, investigators “discovered the baby had other injuries” that were “in various stages of healing” when she was hospitalized, and Enriquez was alone with his daughter “when she stopped breathing.”
“Both parents of the baby girl were interviewed, and during Jonathan’s interview, he admitted to striking his child,” the cops said.
According to court documents obtained by AZ Family and KPNX-TV, doctors at the hospital discovered the 4-week-old baby with numerous injuries, including a fractured skull, a broken leg and ribs, bleeding in the brain, and bruising around her eyes.
According to court documents, Enriquez admitted to being “quite forceful” while changing the child’s diapers and becoming frustrated, but he denied hitting the baby.
He also claimed to police that the child was injured after falling out of a car seat and into a stroller, hitting her head, and that she was hit by a seat belt buckle, according to AZ Family.
According to court documents, the baby’s injuries appeared to be the result of “slamming, crushing, or stomping,” and many of the injuries were “catastrophic,” per the outlets.
During their investigation, detectives also learned that Enriquez texted the mother of the child, asking her to return home from work, as the baby wasn’t breathing and he “messed up.”
Mesa police said they interviewed Enriquez again following the investigation, and he allegedly admitted to hitting the baby in her bassinet on the left side of her head because she was “crying too much,” per AZ Family and KPNX-TV.
Enriquez expressed “deep remorse” for his actions, per the court documents. He is currently being held on a $1 million bond.
