A Rogers man told police he was sleep-deprived and frustrated with his infant daughter's crying when he shook her and hit her head against a door frame, according to second-degree murder charges filed Friday in Hennepin County District Court.
According to a criminal complaint, Darnell Jerome Davis, 27, was alone with his 5-month-old daughter for an hour on the morning of Aug. 21, 2016, before police were called on a report of an infant not breathing.
At first, Davis said he heard the baby choking on a bottle. He said he panicked, shook her, and hit her head against a door frame while he "ran around the apartment," the complaint states.
Later, Davis said that he was not sleeping well. He said the baby was crying after her mother left for work, and he picked her up and shook her.
She died four days later.
Davis is not in custody, but the state is requesting an arrest warrant.
According to the county attorney's office, Davis married a new girlfriend a few months after his daughter died and now has a 7-month-old daughter from that relationship.
