Dad Arrested After 4-Week-Old Baby’s Death

An Arizona father is facing murder charges after allegedly confessing to striking his 4-week-old daughter because she was “crying too much.”

Jonathan Enriquez, 22, has been charged with first-degree murder and child abuse, according to the Mesa Police Department. The investigation began on July 11 when officers responded to a 911 call about a “baby not breathing” at an apartment complex on Covina Street in Mesa.

First responders performed life-saving measures before rushing the infant to the hospital. She remained in critical condition for two weeks before being pronounced dead on July 26. Initially, Enriquez and the baby’s mother told authorities the infant had choked while being fed. But hospital staff discovered multiple injuries in various stages of healing, raising immediate suspicions.

Court records obtained by AZ Family and KPNX-TV detail the extent of the baby’s injuries: a fractured skull, broken ribs and leg, brain bleeding, and severe bruising. An autopsy later concluded the trauma was consistent with “slamming, crushing, or stomping,” and many of the injuries were described as “catastrophic.”

During questioning, Enriquez allegedly admitted to being “quite forceful” when changing diapers and gave conflicting explanations for the injuries—claiming at one point the baby fell from a car seat, and at another that she was hit by a seat belt buckle. Detectives also uncovered text messages he sent to the baby’s mother that morning, telling her to come home from work because the baby wasn’t breathing and he had “messed up.”

Police say that after further investigation, Enriquez confessed to striking the baby in her bassinet because her crying frustrated him. He expressed “deep remorse” for his actions, according to court documents.

Enriquez is being held on a $1 million bond and is scheduled to appear in court in the coming weeks.