MIDLAND, MICHIGAN: A Michigan man, 20, has pleaded no contest after he reportedly killed his 6-month-old daughter as she cried while he was playing video games.
Alex Lewis Marsh pleaded no contest to second-degree murder last Thursday, September 21, records in the 42nd Circuit Court of Midland County show. As a result, first-degree child abuse and first-degree murder charges were not prosecuted.
Midland Police Department officers responded to the residence where Scarlett Marie Marsh was found dead according to an affidavit in support of a criminal complaint dating back to June 2022.
Investigators reported that the victim's mother was at work while the accused father was looking after the baby from the evening of May 17, 2022, till the early morning of the next day.
What happened before Scarlett Marie Marsh died?
“EMS pronounced Scarlett deceased on scene and estimated Scarlett to have been deceased for ‘a while. EMS also noted that there was blood in the baby crib that appeared unusual,” the affidavit stated.
“Scarlett was found deceased lying on her back in the bedroom. Dried red blood like liquid could be seen inside of the baby crib and under Scarlett’s nostrils," the affidavit added.
According to the authorities, the defendant, when interrogated, alleged that he dropped off the baby’s mother at work and returned home with the child, adding that Scarlett went to sleep at 10.30 pm on May 17, 2022.
The father then claimed that he got up a couple of hours later the following day, to rock the baby back to sleep. Marsh said he checked on the baby again an hour and half later and saw that she was “fine,” police said.
Marsh admitted that he left the home at six in the morning without checking on the baby and without taking Scarlett with him to pick up the child’s mother from work.
“Alex advised upon arrival back to the apartment with [the baby’s mother], they found Scarlett to be in the crib deceased,” the affidavit added.
What did the autopsy report reveal?
The police said that the victim's mother yelled at the defendant when he didn’t bring the baby with him to pick her up at work.
A subsequent autopsy did not find “external injuries” but did find “fixed lividity on the right side of [Scarlett’s] body (face and side) and on her back.”
Investigators determined that the baby was “moved some time after her death” and that the victim had blood in her chest cavity.
In a follow-up interview with the authorities, the defendant allegedly admitted he lied about checking on Scarlett after 6.30 pm, the day the baby lost her life.
“Alex then admitted Scarlett was crying and that he threw a large gray blanket (adult sized/ heavy blanket ) over top of Scarlett in her crib” and over Scarlett’s “entire body,” the affidavit said.
How did the victim die?
The defendant admitted that before the police arrived at the scene, he moved the blanket out of the crib.
Prosecutors alleged that Alex Marsh was playing video games when Scarlett died of asphyxiation in her crib.
Midland County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Atea Duso reportedly said the defendant cared more about playing video games than caring for his daughter during a 2022 court appearance.
“He was hesitant to play with her,” Duso said, according to Midland Daily News. “He didn’t like to use the baby monitor, it annoyed him. He wanted to play video games,” Duso added.
