Inset: Jonathan Enriquez (Mesa Police Dept.). Background: The location in Arizona where Enriquez allegedly fatally assaulted his newborn daughter (Google Maps).
A young father, aged 22, from Arizona is facing the possibility of spending his life in prison after being accused of fatally assaulting his newborn daughter, allegedly attacking the infant because she wouldn’t stop crying. Jonathan Enriquez has been apprehended and charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse in connection with the infant’s death.
According to a press release from the Mesa Police Department, officers arrived at an apartment complex on the 1800 block of E. Covina Street at approximately 9 a.m. on July 11 in response to a report of a newborn who was not breathing. The area is about 20 miles east of Phoenix. The caller reportedly informed 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.
Law enforcement and emergency medical teams attempted life-saving techniques on the infant before transporting her to a nearby hospital for care. Upon admission, the baby was in critical condition.
“Investigators determined that the baby’s father, Jonathan Enriquez, aged 22, was alone with his daughter when she ceased breathing. They also found that the infant had multiple injuries at different stages of healing,” the release indicates. “Both parents of the child were interviewed, and during Jonathan [Enriquez’s] interview, he confessed to striking his child.”
Unfortunately, the victim succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital on July 26.
Court documents acquired by Phoenix CBS affiliate KTVK revealed more details about the tragic death of the newborn. The report states that after questioning the victim’s parents, detectives noticed several discrepancies 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.
