An Oakdale man beat his 5-year-old daughter so severely May 15 that she "remains in a vegetative state with no chance of recovery," according to charges filed in Washington County District Court.
De'Anthony Russell Simpson, 24, is alleged to have thrown the girl onto a bed with such force that she bounced onto the floor, suffering a traumatic brain injury. He is charged with first-degree assault with great bodily harm, a felony.
The charges said the girl had spent most of her life living with her biological mother in Wisconsin but had been staying with her father in Oakdale for about six weeks. An argument ensued after Simpson's girlfriend left for work, and he grabbed his daughter by the arms "and questioned why she hated him," the charges said.
According to the charges, the girl became unresponsive after Simpson threw her and she fell to the floor. He allegedly didn't call 911 but hours later drove her to the emergency room at St. John's Hospital in Maplewood.
Doctors treating the girl said her injuries resulted from a beating, not from a TV falling on her, as Simpson allegedly reported. According to the charges, she required immediate emergency brain surgery and suffered respiratory failure as a result of her brain injury. She also had liver damage and bruising on her cheeks, forehead, chest, arms, legs and feet.
Simpson was being held Friday in the Washington County jail.
Kevin Giles
