Florida dad admits to fatally slamming infant into his knee: affidavit
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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida father admitted to forcefully hitting his infant’s head with his knee at least two times because the baby was fussy and crying, according to an affidavit.
On the morning of June 10, the 6-week-old infant was found unresponsive in a Melbourne home and was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The suspect, Edrick Lamar Davis Sr., 25, said he could not explain the child’s death, as the child was healthy and didn’t have any preexisting conditions.
Davis told officials that around 10:30 a.m., the infant fell asleep, after a woman, whose relationship to Davis was redacted but is presumably his partner, fed the infant formula before hopping in the shower, according to the affidavit.
Davis joined the woman in the shower for about 20 minutes before they got out, and noticed the child lying face up and unresponsive, with formula coming out of his nose. That’s when the woman called 911 and attempted CPR, the affidavit said.
When officials questioned Davis about the events leading up to the infant’s death, he admitted to “accidentally” striking the baby’s head on a door frame. He also admitted to forcefully hitting the back of the child’s head with his knee at least two times to keep from dropping the baby.
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Davis added that he “slammed his body downward onto his left knee,” giving at least two blows to the baby’s head due to his stress and not being “right in his mind.” The affidavit revealed he recognized that his actions alone caused the child to die.
The doctor who treated the child at the hospital told investigators he noticed a bruise on the infant’s left shoulder and scratches on his face.
An autopsy, performed on June 11, revealed several internal injuries including blunt force trauma, contusions to the back of the infant’s head, acute subdural brain hemorrhage on the back of his brain, ocular nerve hemorrhages, and several fractures to his clavicle, tibia, ribs, and jawbone.
The medical examiner determined that the child’s serious injuries were forceful and intentional, and were the cause of his death.
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