A 22-year-old father in Arizona may spend the rest of his life in prison after being accused of murdering his newborn daughter, whom he allegedly beat to death because she refused to stop crying. Jonathan Enriquez was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse in the infant’s death.
According to a Mesa Police Department news release, officers responded to a call around 9 a.m. on July 11 about a newborn baby who was not breathing at an apartment complex in the 1800 block of E. Covina Street, about 20 miles east of Phoenix. The caller allegedly informed the emergency dispatcher that the baby “choked while being fed a bottle.”
When first responders arrived at the scene, they reported being “handed” a 4-week-old unresponsive baby girl.
Police and emergency medical services attempted life-saving measures on the child before transporting her to a nearby hospital for treatment. The baby was taken to the facility in critical condition.
“Investigators discovered that the baby’s father, 22-year-old Jonathan Enriquez, was alone with his daughter when she stopped breathing.” They also discovered that the baby had additional injuries that were in various stages of healing,” according to the release. “Both parents of the baby girl were interviewed and during Jonathan [Enriquez’s] interview he admitted to striking his child.”
Unfortunately, the victim succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital on July 26.
Court documents obtained by Phoenix CBS affiliate KTVK revealed more information about the newborn’s horrific death. According to the report, after interviewing the victim’s parents, detectives discovered several inconsistencies in their statements.
While both reportedly claimed that their daughter’s injuries were caused by the child falling off the bed (a departure from the original choking-while-feeding story), Enriquez later admitted to being “quite forceful” while changing the baby. He then allegedly claimed that the baby frequently hit herself, which caused him “frustration,” but denied striking the infant.
Enriquez then reportedly claimed that his daughter’s injuries were caused by her falling out of her car seat or by a seatbelt buckle striking her in the face, bruising her eye.
However, a forensic search of Enriquez’s phone revealed that, shortly before calling 911, he texted the baby’s mother, pleading with her to return home immediately because he had “messed up,” according to the report.
Doctors said Enriquez’s daughter had a fractured skull, a brain bleed, a broken leg, and several broken ribs. The autopsy report stated that the newborn’s “catastrophic” injuries were most likely caused by “slamming, crushing, or stomping.”
When confronted with the autopsy results, Enriquez allegedly confessed to hitting his daughter in the head while she was in her bassinet because she was “crying too much,” KTVK reported. He allegedly expressed “deep remorse” for inflicting the fatal wounds on his daughter.
Enriquez was booked into the Maricopa County Jail and is currently being held on a $1 million bond.
