A man from Colorado, described as having a “short fuse,” stands accused of murdering his girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter. The allegation is that he fatally beat the child after she struck him.

Authorities revealed that 38-year-old Nicholas Stout was apprehended over the weekend. He faces charges of first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death.

The child’s mother, Melissa Wayne, also aged 38, has been arrested and charged with child abuse leading to death.

A press release from the Denver Police Department detailed that officers were dispatched in response to a 911 call regarding an unresponsive toddler on the 100 block of South Vrain Street during the early hours of Sunday, January 18. Upon their arrival, they discovered the child, who was declared deceased on-site.

Stout was arrested that same day, while Wayne’s arrest followed on Tuesday evening.

According to court documents acquired by Denver’s ABC affiliate KMGH, the young victim was identified as Valkyrie Erickson. The documents also shed light on the troubling details surrounding her tragic death.

In an interview with investigators, Stout reportedly tried to lay blame at Valkyrie’s feet, claiming that the child was a “dare devil” whose fatal wounds were self-inflicted.

“Nicholas [Stout] described Valkyrie as a ‘dare devil’ and stated that she liked to jump around on the bed,” police reportedly wrote in a probable cause affidavit. “During the time that they were trying to sleep on Friday night, Valkyrie started to jump over Melissa [Wayne], then over Nicholas [Stout] and was about to jump off of the bed. Nicholas [Stout] said that he put his arm over to catch Valkyrie and stop her from jumping off of the bed. In the process of grabbing her, she hit her head on the night stand/coffee table that was next to his bed.”

Stout also claimed that he was out getting cigarettes at about midnight the evening before Valkyrie was found unresponsive.

However, interviews with witnesses, including at least one individual who lived in the house with the family, belied Stout’s claims.

The housemate, who had been living at the residence for about a week, reportedly told police he “frequently” heard Stout yelling at Valkyrie, which was often followed by “slapping noises coming from the bedroom” where Stout stayed with Valkyrie and her mother.

“[The housemate] stated that between the hours of 11 p.m. – 1 a.m., on January 17, 2026, that he heard the yelling and screaming continue,” the affidavit states. “[The housemate] heard [Stout] say something to the effect of ‘You f—ing bit me’ and ‘I f—ing hate you.’ [The housemate] stated that it was a close proximity in time after those statements that ‘the baby’ stopped crying and everything went quiet for the rest of the night.”

Police said that every individual in the house “would normally avoid” Stout “because of his temper.” A summary of how others described Stout included the following: “Short fused,” “hot headed,” “unhinged,” “unpredictable,” “goes off the wall,” and “very aggressive,” according to a report from Denver NBC affiliate KUSA.

Stout appeared in court on Tuesday where a judge ordered him to be held without bond, local CBS affiliate KCNC reported.