Teen Charged With Murder In 2-Year-Old's Death

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 17-year-old boy has been charged Monday with second-degree murder in the death of a 2-year-old girl, according to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.

Last Wednesday, Sophia O'Neill died after she was in the care of her mother's 17-year-old boyfriend. The little girl stopped breathing at about noon and was rushed to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

Authorities then arrested the boyfriend of Sophia's mother, identified as Cody Samuel Feran-Baum of Minneapolis. He made his initial court appearance at 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Hennepin County Juvenile Justice Center.

Related: Hennepin Co. Receives Extension For Charges In 2-Year-Old's Death

According to the criminal complaint, Feran-Baum babysat the victim many times. On Wednesday, June 10, he went to a neighbor and asked if he could use the phone, saying Sophia wasn't feeling well. He told the neighbor that when she woke from a nap, she was staggering and almost fell.

Feran-Baum then took the neighbor's cell phone back to the residence – his grandparent's house – and returned 5 to 10 minutes later with the victim in his arms. He then asked if he could get a ride to the hospital, the complaint said.

After noticing Sophia's condition – her skin was cold, clammy and appeared to be blue – the neighbor called 911 and began performing CPR on the child.

Sophia was then taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center where CPR was continued for a prolonged amount of time. She coded twice and was resuscitated twice, and was stabilized at one point. However, despite attempts to save her life, she died Wednesday evening.

The hospital determined Sophia suffered significant non-accidental injuries to her torso, including massive damage to her kidneys, pancreas and liver. She also had eight rib fractures and at least one healing rib fracture. Doctors noted that the rib fractures are considered highly specific for inflicted injury.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner determined Sophia's death was a result of the multiple blunt force trauma injuries to her torso region.

In an interview with police, Feran-Baum said that while babysitting Sophia it was "so overwhelming to hear her cry and scream" and he "cannot do nothing." He was unsure about the date, saying on Monday when Sophia was crying and would not stop, he "kinda snapped on her." He said he then placed her in a corner and kicked her in the back two times, saying "it was bad … it was hard." He said the victim was still crying and whining later, so he stepped on her back, the complaint said.

Sophia's mother told police her daughter's health began to decline Tuesday night, and that she had fever and vomited several times throughout night.

Officers determined the assault took place on Tuesday, June 9, because the child was at daycare on Monday until 7 p.m. and Feran-Baum was not alone with the child until Tuesday.

During their investigation, officers met with Sophia's 22-year-old biological father, who showed officers a video he created on Feb. 7, 2015 that shows Sophia with two bruises on her left cheek. In the video, Sophia tells him that Feran-Baum punched her in the face.