Two Florida parents face criminal charges for allegedly abusing and killing their 2-month-old son. Cellphone records show them texting each other “Ugh this kid is killing me” and “I’m done with this … you already know what I’m going to do” while struggling with his bedtime routine, according to court documents.
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office has charged Donovan Winter, 26, and Belle Winter, 23, with first-degree felony murder and aggravated child abuse in connection with their son’s death in 2021. Donovan was arrested on June 17, 2025, while Belle was apprehended on Monday and extradited from Pennsylvania, where she had relocated after their son died, police said.
The sheriff’s office explained the arrest delay, stating that the charges stemmed from “an extremely thorough investigation,” which included investigators extracting texts and cellphone records.
“These cases, as you know, can take a long time when dealing with a child abuse case like this,” BCSO Public Information Officer Tod Goodyear told WESH, a local NBC affiliate. “You’re having to deal with medical evidence, the Department of Children and Families, child protection team, medical examiner and a lot of times you have more than one caretaker that may have had access to the child during its life.”
Deputies responded to a Merritt Island home in June 2021 and discovered the deceased 2-month-old boy “face down” in a bassinet with a pacifier in his mouth, according to Donovan Winter’s arrest affidavit. The child was taken to the Brevard County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy, which revealed that he died from “multiple blunt-impact head injuries,” according to police.
Donovan Winter’s arrest affidavit reveals that both parents struggled with the baby’s bedtime routine. “The investigation revealed Donovan and [Belle], both young, struggled with child’s bouts of inconsolable crying,” according to the document. “This was evidenced by text messages discovered during the consensual search of their cellular phones, wherein they each complained.”
Between March 31, 2021 and June 1, 2021, the couple allegedly texted about how they wanted to try to stop crying. The affidavit alleges that Donovan Winter said things like “I’m done” and “I can’t do it with this kid.”
“I’m tired,” Donovan Winter allegedly texted Belle Winter, who was working at the time of the exchange. “He’s screaming won’t shut up.”
According to the affidavit, Donovan Winter allegedly wrote in another message, “I’ll do what I normally do” and “easy asf.” “He will be sleeping 24/7 when you are at work,” he allegedly said, according to the affidavit. It is unclear when the texts were sent.
In May 2025, authorities summoned Belle and Donovan Winter for a sworn interview. Both allegedly claimed they had no idea what happened to their son. Belle Winter allegedly claimed that after returning home from work on the night the infant died, she took a 2-hour shower and then checked to see if he was asleep.
“When she turned the decedent over she saw the decedent’s eyes were purple and his face was ‘squished’ to one side,” according to Donovan’s declaration of facts. “She further advised the decedent’s body was ‘very stiff.'”
When asked if they ever shook the baby, Belle Winter said no, and Donovan Winter allegedly said he would move the child around to make him “happy” but not violently, according to the affidavit.
“Donovan Winter provided inconsistent details regarding how he tried to make the decedent ‘happy’ when he threw the decedent into the air, but failed to catch him on the way down,” according to the statement of allegations. “He finally admitted that he threw the decedent into the air while standing and missed the catch. He stated that the incident occurred approximately two weeks before the decedent was discovered dead.
Witnesses told cops during interviews that the child was “in good health with no injuries” from March 31, 2021 to his death on June 1, 2021. According to the affidavit, images and video of the boy were found on one of his parents’ phones, showing him wearing the same clothes that morning. According to the affidavit, the parents’ “denials and inconsistencies” prompted the order of follow-up interviews.
Donovan Winter allegedly told investigators that Belle Winter’s shower was “long” and that she had entered the bathroom after “slamming” the door. He claimed that a second bathroom door had also been slammed.
“Donovan Winter struggled with the decedent, as he was over-tired and fussy and [Belle] did not come out to help or assist,” according to the statement of charges. “Winter described how he prepared the decedent for bed by rocking him while standing over the crib.” He also admitted that he swayed the decedent back and forth and that he may have been rough because he was unaware of his own strength.
Donovan Winter allegedly demonstrated the motion he made with the child, showing how he clutched him in a “vertical type hold as he jumped up and down,” police say. He allegedly recalled placing the baby “face down in the bassinet” with a pacifier in his mouth, which came out twice. The affidavit alleges that Donovan Winter held the pacifier in place while lying face down.
“It should be noted that was the exact position decedent was found the following morning deceased,” according to the documents. “He didn’t change the deceased’s diaper. He put a pacifier in the decedent’s mouth and laid the baby face down before going to bed.”
Donovan Winter allegedly admitted that the child was “crying and hard to calm” during their bedtime routine. It wasn’t until he laid his son face down in the bassinet, holding a pacifier in his mouth, that the baby stopped crying.
Donovan and Belle Winter are being held in the Brevard County Jail without bond.
