A 44-year-old Juneau man is facing second-degree murder charges based on accusations he caused the death of an infant in April.
The 5-week-old baby died of blunt-force head injuries suffered while in the care of James White, according to a criminal complaint filed with charges on Friday. White, who is married to the baby’s mother, told investigators he believed another man was the child’s father, the complaint said. There were three other children from 2 to 12 in a two-room suite at the Super 8 motel where the family was staying at the time of the baby’s death, according to a sworn report by Juneau Detective Frank Dolan included with the complaint.
The baby died in mid-April but White wasn’t arrested until Friday after a seven-month investigation, police said. Dolan, in his report, said he contacted White last Wednesday and “confronted him on causing the death” of the infant.
“James White told me, in essence that it wasn’t planned out,” the detective wrote.
Police said White was arrested Friday while jailed on separate charges of assault against a family member. Those charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on Thursday, according to a complaint filed in that case.
White was taking care of the infant and other children in mid-April while their mother was at work, according to the detective’s report. He initially told police he fell asleep with the baby girl and was awakened and found her not breathing, it said. Another child interviewed by police, however, said White was in the other room with the crying baby when she heard the infant go quiet, the complaint said. Then she saw one of her younger siblings carrying the “lifeless” baby, it said.
The infant died later that day, according to the detective’s report. The baby’s mother told the detective that White had been having anger issues and lashing out, the report said.
The deputy medical examiner who performed the baby’s autopsy told the detective that the infant’s injuries were beyond what another child could do or the result of an adult dropping or rolling onto the baby, Dolan wrote. “He said this is more of an impact where an adult care giver grabs the infant by the midsection and slams it to the ground.”
White was jailed at Lemon Creek Correctional Center Monday. A judge last week set his bail at $250,000 cash with conditions of release including electronic monitoring, no alcohol consumption, and no contact with the children and the baby’s mother, as well as the man identified as her father.
Juneau police did not immediately respond to a request for more information. The public defender representing White was not available for comment Monday afternoon.