Inset: Jonathan Enriquez (Mesa Police Dept.). Background: The area in Arizona where Enriquez allegedly beat his newborn daughter to death (Google Maps).
A 22-year-old father in Arizona may spend the rest of his life behind bars after being accused of killing his newborn daughter, allegedly beating the little girl to death because she wouldn”t stop crying. Jonathan Enriquez was taken into custody and charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of felony child abuse in the infant’s slaying.
According to a news release from the Mesa Police Department, officers at about 9 a.m. on July 11, responded to a call regarding a newborn baby that was not breathing at an apartment complex in the 1800 block of E. Covina Street, which is about 20 miles east of Phoenix. The caller allegedly told the emergency dispatcher that the baby had “choked while being fed a bottle.”
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders said they were “handed” a 4-week-old baby girl who was unresponsive.
Police and emergency medical services attempted life-saving measures on the child and transported her to a local hospital for treatment. The baby was admitted to the facility in critical condition.
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“Investigators learned 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 other injuries in various stages of healing,” the release states. “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 provided additional details about the newborn’s horrific death. According to the report, following interviews with the victim’s parents, detectives noted several inconsistencies in their statements.
While both reportedly said their daughter’s injuries were the result of the child falling off the bed (a change from the initial choking-while-feeding story), Enriquez later admitted to being “quite forceful” while changing the baby. He then allegedly claimed that the baby would often hit herself, saying it caused him “frustration,” but continued to deny striking the infant.
Enriquez then reportedly claimed the injuries could have occurred when his daughter fell out of her car seat or when a seatbelt buckle struck her in the face, bruising her eye.
However, a forensic search of Enriquez’s phone showed that shortly before calling 911, Enriquez had texted the baby’s mother, imploring her to return home immediately because he had “messed up,” per the report.
Doctors reportedly determined that Enriquez’s daughter suffered a fractured skull, brain bleed, broken leg, and several broken ribs. The autopsy report stated that the newborn’s “catastrophic” injuries were likely caused by “slamming, crushing, or stomping.”
When confronted with the autopsy results, Enriquez allegedly confessed that he struck his daughter in the head while she was in her bassinet because she was “crying too much,” KTVK reported. He then allegedly expressed “deep remorse” for inflicting the fatal wounds on his daughter.
Enriquez was booked into the Maricopa County Jail, where he is currently being held on $1 million bond.
