A 22-year-old Arizona father is facing the possibility of life in prison after police say he brutally beat his 4-week-old daughter to death because she was crying.
Jonathan Enriquez has been charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse in the killing, according to the Mesa Police Department.
According to Law & Crime, the investigation began on July 11 when police responded around 9 a.m. to a 911 call about a newborn who was not breathing at an apartment complex in the 1800 block of E. Covina Street, about 20 miles east of Phoenix.
The caller initially claimed the baby had “choked while being fed a bottle.”
First responders said they were “handed” the unresponsive infant upon arrival. Paramedics and officers performed life-saving measures and rushed her to a hospital, where she was admitted in critical condition.
Investigators soon discovered disturbing details. “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,” police said.
“Both parents of the baby girl were interviewed and during Jonathan [Enriquez’s] interview he admitted to striking his child.”
The infant died from her injuries on July 26.
According to court documents obtained by KTVK, Enriquez and the child’s mother initially claimed the baby’s injuries were from falling off the bed — a change from the choking story.
Enriquez later admitted to being “quite forceful” while changing her, and even suggested the baby “would often hit herself,” causing him frustration. He also claimed her injuries might have been caused by falling from a car seat or being struck in the face by a seatbelt buckle.
But a forensic search of Enriquez’s phone revealed that, just before calling 911, he had texted the baby’s mother telling her to come home immediately because he had “messed up.”
Doctors determined the infant suffered a fractured skull, brain bleed, broken leg, and multiple broken ribs. The autopsy report concluded the “catastrophic” injuries were caused by “slamming, crushing, or stomping.”
When confronted with the autopsy findings, Enriquez allegedly confessed that he struck his daughter in the head while she was in her bassinet because she was “crying too much.” He reportedly expressed “deep remorse” for causing her death.
Enriquez is currently being held in the Maricopa County Jail on a $1 million bond.
