Police: Maryland Parents Allegedly Beat Baby To Death For Doing Something All Babies Do
Two Maryland parents have been arrested after authorities reported that their three-month-old baby was violently beaten to death. The Parent Herald reports that 32-year-old Antoine Petty is the alleged perpetrator in this shocking crime, and his wife, Geneice Petty, is being treated by police as an accessory. Police said the little baby was beaten to death for doing something that all babies do. He was allegedly killed for “nonstop crying.”
The arrests of the two Maryland parents come approximately one month after the body of the three-month-old infant was found. Reports said the little infant’s body was located in a shallow grave behind a school, and the remains had been in that area for several weeks. It wasn’t until last week that the baby’s body was recovered. Police said relatives of the Maryland parents turned them over to the authorities when they hadn’t seen or heard about the infant in some time. The relatives told police that whenever they’d ask about the baby, both Geneice and Antoine would give them excuses. One excuse given by the mother of the slain infant was that he was with “friends.”
#Now: Judge maintains Geneice Petty’s $120,000 bond and Antoine Petty has no bond. Both are charged in beating death of their 3 month old. pic.twitter.com/HXrl0lBg4b
— Tracee Wilkins (@TraceeWilkins) October 21, 2016
NBC News Washington reported that the Maryland couple was tracked down by authorities on Tuesday. Following the arrest of the parents of the murdered infant, authorities clarified what allegedly happened to the three-month-old baby. Police said that they interrogated both of the parents, which led to a confession from Antoine.
According to police, the Maryland man admitted to violently punching the infant in the torso while he was crying. After punching the crying baby on the balcony of the apartment where the family resides, he took the child inside and continued to beat him. Antoine admitted to beating the three-month-old infant until he bled from his nose and mouth. The infant lost consciousness soon after the beating. Not long after that, the Maryland parents allegedly knew the child would die.
The police stated that Antoine Petty and Geneice Petty put the child in their car for longer than a day while they decided what they were going to do about their problem. Antoine allegedly admitted to police that the duo drove the baby out behind a high school, where his body was put in a shallow grave.
This isn’t the first time a child has been killed for crying. In fact, this appears to be a common reason behind the alleged beatings of many infants. Earlier this year, a Wisconsin woman was arrested for beating her infant daughter to death. Initially, the mom allegedly blamed the three-month-old baby’s father before she ultimately came clean. Her alleged reason for beating the baby to death? The infant wouldn’t stop crying.
A 3-year-old was beaten to death. Officials knew she was abused and ignored it, a lawsuit says. https://t.co/IdYWHQsIeN~ That poor baby!
— Ani (@EgryAni) October 12, 2016
Also this year, another Maryland father was arrested after police say he killed his five-month-old son. Fox 5 News reports that Austin Ahimbisibwe violently shook and smothered his infant son to death because the baby wouldn’t stop crying.
As for this latest case out of Maryland, both Antoine and Geneice Petty have been charged with crimes stemming from the beating death of the child. Antoine has been charged with first-degree murder, and Geneice has been charged with being an accomplice to the crimes her domestic partner allegedly committed against the helpless child. Their next court hearing is scheduled for sometime in November.
[Featured Image by Maryland Department of Corrections]
