Montrose Man Gets 17 Years In 5-Month-Old Daughter's Death

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 27-year-old Montrose man pleaded guilty to murder on Tuesday in the August 2016 death of his 5-month old daughter.

Darnell Davis pleaded guilty to second-degree unintentional murder in the baby's death. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison. He was charged back in May.

According to charges in the case, police and paramedics were called to a home in Rogers at about 9:48 a.m. on Aug. 21, 2016, on a report of an infant not breathing. The girl's mother called police after Davis, her boyfriend, called her at work and told her the baby was having a seizure.

Davis told first responders the baby wasn't breathing normally after he gave her a bottle.

Davis said in court Tuesday he was tired and trying to sleep, but the baby cried for about a half hour straight. He tried to get her to stop, but nothing worked. He said he panicked and shook his daughter harder than he meant to.

According to his attorney, Davis shook the baby so hard that it caused bleeding in her brain and nerve damage to her spinal cord and neck. The baby was transported to Children's Hospital in Minneapolis and emergency surgery was performed. Two days later, a pediatrician specializing in child abuse reported that the baby appeared to have suffered abusive head trauma.

The child died on Aug. 25.