Duwuan Betancourt (via Oklahoma County Detention Center).
Police in Oklahoma have arrested the man they say killed his infant son and admitted that he was responsible for the boy’s death.
Duwuan Betancourt, 36, is charged with first degree murder in the death of his 4-month-old child identified by local CBS affiliate KOTV as Quinn Betancourt.
“[On] March 5th, 2024, Oklahoma City Police responded to emergency calls of an infant not breathing at an apartment complex in northwest Oklahoma City,” the Oklahoma City Police Department said in a statement on Friday. “The child was transported to a local hospital and pronounced deceased shortly thereafter. During the investigation, detectives learned the child suffered injuries consistent with child abuse. An arrest warrant was issued for 36-year-old Duwuan Betancourt. He was booked into jail on a murder complaint.”
Betancourt allegedly said that he put his baby in a swing for a nap at 12:30 p.m., KOTV reported, citing a probable cause affidavit. He reportedly admitted to police that he forgot to check on the child until 3:45 p.m., when he found the baby cold and not breathing.
He then allegedly texted his wife at 4:18 p.m., writing only her name. Five minutes later, he reportedly called the police. The baby was taken to the emergency room and pronounced dead.
“It’s all my fault,” Betancourt allegedly said while at the ER.
Oklahoma City police determined that the child “suffered from injuries consistent with child abuse,” KOTV reported. When asked why the baby might have skull fractures, Betancourt reportedly told police that the child had rolled off the couch into a foam mat a few days earlier, and that he would also sit on the mat and fall backward.
The medical examiner, however, found that the child had experienced “blunt force trauma,” according to the report.
A doctor reportedly told police that the child’s injuries consisted of “slamming on a hard surface” and said that the child “would have died within five minutes of sustaining injuries such as these.”
Although the baby died in March, it was only on Friday, April 12, that Oklahoma City police announced Betancourt’s arrest.
“The Oklahoma City Police Department Violent Crime Apprehension Team (VCAT) with assistance from the United States Marshals Service arrested 36-year old Duwuan Betancourt on a complaint of Murder-1 (infant) on April 11, 2024,” said in a Facebook post.
Oklahoma County Detention Center records show that Betancourt was arrested on Thursday and is being held on $5 million bond.
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