A Minnesota dad allegedly beat his two-month-old baby to death and blamed it on his cat. Kristopher Dale Arlando Henderson, 39, is accused of brutally thrashing his two-month-old daughter, Adaline, which left her with broken legs, bleeding on the brain, and broken ribs. According to Mankato Free Press, the incident took place at Henderson's Mankato home in September. The baby, who was hospitalized on September 23 with life-threatening injuries as a result of the beating, died earlier this month.
According to court documents, the baby had 'little to no brain activity' before she was declared dead on November 3. Kristopher Henderson was charged with one count each of second-degree murder without intent while committing a felony and first-degree manslaughter during hostile punishment of a child. Final autopsy results on the cause of the baby's death are yet to come.
'The cat did it'
According to police, Henderson initially tried to shift the blames for his heinous act to the family cat. Baby Adaline's mother, Shelby Goodrich told investigators that she left her in 'good health' with Henderson on the morning of September 23. Later, however, around 5 pm in the evening, she received a call from Henderson, alleging that he found their 19-pound cat 'laying on' the baby.
Goodrich further said that she reached home an hour later to find baby Adaline's eyes 'bulged out' from her head and rushed her to the emergency room. According to court documents, when the investigators talked to Henderson, he initially refused to know anything about the baby's injuries and then blamed the cat for the same. However, the doctors treating Adaline refuted Henderson's claims and noted that the injuries inflicted on the baby were consistent with 'non-accidental trauma,' for which, the cat cannot be held responsible.
'He did it to try and quiet the baby'
During the course of the investigation, Henderson later admitted to hitting the baby on her back for five minutes with force enough to break her ribs, police said. According to Henderson, he did it to try and quiet the crying baby. Henderson is being held in the Blue Earth County Jail. His bond has been set at $1 million.
The girl's mother, Goodrich told the DailyMail that Adaline was a very happy baby. "She was my world and now my world will forever be a darker place without her," she said.
