NEW CASTLE, Okla. (TCD) — A 25-year-old father faces a charge of murder for allegedly inflicting fatal injuries on his baby more than a year after physically assaulting the mother while she was pregnant.
According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), on the afternoon of April 10, officers with the Newcastle Police Department responded to a home in reference to an unresponsive 9-month-old baby and transported him to a local hospital. Police asked the OSBI to assist with the child abuse investigation the following day.
Medical staff determined the boy suffered an internal brain bleed and “massive” hemorrhaging behind the eyes, Cleveland County 21st District Attorney Greg Mashburn said. The 9-month-old succumbed to his injuries on April 12.
OSBI special agents interviewed the child’s father, 25-year-old Hunter Smiley, who was with his son upon officers’ arrival. Mashburn said the boy was in Smiley’s care when the injuries occurred. Officials arrested Smiley on April 15 and booked him into the McClain County Jail on a charge of first-degree murder.
Smiley appeared in court on April 25 for his arraignment, and his bond was set at $5 million. According to Mashburn, Smiley must not contact the victim’s family, and if he posts bond, he will have to wear an ankle monitor and can’t access weapons. Smiley will appear in court for a preliminary hearing conference on May 22.
Mashburn commented, “It is tragic when a life is taken so early. We will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law to be the voice of this victim who cannot speak for himself.”
According to court records reviewed by KFOR-TV, Smiley allegedly abused the child’s mother while she was pregnant, and authorities arrested him in January 2023 for domestic assault and battery. He pleaded guilty in June 2023 to striking the woman with pieces of a broken door during a dispute.
Court records show a McClain County judge sentenced Smiley to 13 months of probation with that term ending July 1, 2024. As part of his probation, he was not allowed to break any laws, but his arrest violated those conditions.
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