Miami

North Miami-Dade Dad Beat Infant Daughter to Death: MDPD

**Disclaimer: Some of the details in this story may be disturbing for some readers**

A north Miami-Dade man admitted to police that he intentionally beat his 4-month-old baby to death, breaking her arm, leg and ribs among other injuries.

According to a police report, 24-year-old Juan Gonzalez was booked into jail late Tuesday. He was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse causing great bodily harm in the death of Harlow Gonzalez.

He was ordered held without bond on the first-degree murder charge, and $10,000 bond on the charges of child abuse.

Records didn't indicate whether Gonzalez had hired an attorney.

A police report states that the baby's mother found her unresponsive around 7 p.m. last Tuesday at a home in the 1100 block of Northwest 118th Street in Miami.

The baby was taken to Jackson North Hospital and later transported to the Jackson Holtz Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. She was pronounced dead on Friday.

"This was a blessing from heaven, a blessing," grandmother Minerva Rodriguez said Wednesday. "I know she's an angel already."

An autopsy on the baby's body revealed that she'd suffered multiple skull fractures and severe brain injuries, as well as a broken arm, leg, dislocated elbow, and several fractured ribs. She died as a result of those injuries.

After being read his rights, Gonzalez told police that he caused the injuries to his infant daughter on purpose.

Rodriguez said before the admission to police, he blamed the baby's mother, grandmother and even the dog.

"He said the dog pushed him, he said he fell on top of the baby," she said.

Rodriguez said Gonzalez, an Army veteran, always complained of PTSD. She said she only met him once and had implored her daughter to get away from him.

"He's not well, the way he talks about the war, when he went to the war. He's crazy. I said 'one day he's going to kill you,'" Rodriguez said.

According to public records, Gonzalez has several prior violent offenses including four domestic battery cases involving three different women.

Neighbors said police had been called to the home between 8-9 times in the last three months alone.

"This is worse than a nightmare, because in a nightmare you can wake up. You know?" Rodriguez said. "Everything is over. This is going to continue forever."

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