Orange County, Fla. (WFLA) – The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has announced that a man has been arrested for allegedly abusing and murdering his three-month-old daughter.
Deputies answered a call on April 30th about an unresponsive baby, 3 months old.
Deputies contacted Orange County Fire Rescue, who had been CPR on the baby before taking her to a nearby hospital.
Darius Nichols, 20, told investigators he left the baby on the couch and went to the bathroom.
According to the arrest affidavit, when Nichols returned to check on the baby, she was on the floor and didn’t respond.
The lawmaker said an autopsy was conducted and showed that the baby’s skull was broken in many places. She also had some healing rib fractures from previous incidents.
Most of the injuries observed at the autopsy were inconsistent with information provided by Nichols, according to the arrest affidavit.
“In her short life, Baby Nova suffered from terrible abuse and trauma. She is now resting peacefully and our detectives will get Baby Nova’s justice,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.
Nichols was charged with first-degree murder and worsening child abuse, the sheriff’s office said.
