D.C. father admits to squeezing 5-week-old son to death
WASHINGTON -- The D.C. man arrested for the Aug. 4 death of a five-week-old infant admitted he would squeeze the child to get him to stop crying, reports CBS affiliate WUSA.
Robert Smith Sr. of Northwest, D.C. was charged with first degree felony murder in connection with the death of five-week-old Robert Smith Jr. of Northwest, D.C., police said.
Smith admitted in court that when the child would become fussy, he would squeeze the child to stop him from crying, reports the station. He reportedly did this throughout the infant's short life. According to court documents, Smith called himself a "monster" and says no one else, including the baby's mother, knew what he was doing.
According to reports, officers responded to the D.C. house where the infant was found for a death investigation on the afternoon of Aug. 4th. According to the station, the officers found a man performing CPR on an infant child when they arrived on scene.
The baby was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, reports the affiliate. The cause of death was determined to be multiple blunt force injuries in the manner of homicide, police said.
According to the station, police had previously stated that there was nothing suspicious about the infant's death.