Florida – A Florida parent was sentenced to three decades in state prison after pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter of a child in connection with the death of his baby, WiIIow.
The plea agreement resulted in the dismissal of additional charges, including aggravated child abuse and two counts of knowingly abusing a child without bodily harm.
The case began in February of last year, when the parent, 23-year-old Jakob, took his unresponsive 4-month-old child to a regional medical center in Florida. Medical personnel discovered that the baby had no brain activity and several suspicious injuries.
She was airlifted to a pediatric intensive care unit, where doctors discovered severe injuries, including a skuII fracture, ten broken ribs, brain hemorrhage, and bruises. An autopsy revealed that the baby died from blunt force trauma to the head, and her death was ruled a homicide.
During the investigation, the young parent initially told Florida authorities that after dropping his wife off at work, he played on his console before going to a local store with the baby to get dinner ingredients.
He claimed to have fed her upon returning home and discovered her unresponsive shortly after. However, surveillance footage from the store showed the defendant shopping alone, which contradicted his statement. When confronted with this evidence, he ceased cooperating and issued statements denying the existence of his wife and daughter.
According to Florida authorities, an autopsy revealed the severity of the baby’s injuries, which included a fractured skull, numerous bruises on her forehead, ten broken ribs, spinal hemorrhaging, and multiple layers of brain bleeding.
Investigators believe the defendant caused the rib fractures by violently squeezing the infant. He also reportedly struck her ten times on the forehead and hit the back of her head with a hard object.
Sheriff Jude described the crime as “vicious,” noting that the baby’s injuries suggested he had been beaten and squeezed to death. He emphasized the parent’s lack of remorse and emotion throughout the investigation. The defendant will receive credit for the 461 days he has already spent in jail.