1-Year-Old Beaten To Death By Mother's Boyfriend: Police

A 32-year-old Arkansas man has been arrested for allegedly beating to death his girlfriend's 1-year-old child earlier this month.

Jared Lee Ball was arrested Wednesday and charged in Sebastian County Circuit Court with the first-degree murder of a child under the age of 14, People reported. He also faces charges of domestic battery, drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A Sebastian County detective said that he was called to a home in Fort Smith, Arkansas, on the morning of Jan. 20 on a call regarding an unresponsive child, according to an arrest affidavit filed with the court and obtained by KNWA/Fox24.

The first officer on the scene found Ball "in extreme distress." There were two other minors, ages 5 and 3, present at the time, in addition to the victim, the affidavit said.

The baby's ribcage was covered with blue bruises, according to the filing. Police said that the injuries were "consistent with the violent shaking" that occurred on Jan. 19.

"There was at least one forceful blow to the front of the chest which caused a laceration of the heart and hemorrhage into the pericardial sac. This was the injury primarily responsible for death," the medical examiner’s report read.

The child was brought to Mercy Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after.

The medical examiner indicated in their report that the death of the 1-year-old child could not have happened accidentally and that the other children present in the home could not have caused the injuries. The baby's death was ruled a homicide.

Ball’s girlfriend, whose name was not disclosed, told police that Ball allegedly had been abusive toward her, according to the arrest report.

She told authorities that Ball allegedly once punched her in the ribs and left her in pain that lasted for months. In another incident, the woman alleged that Ball grabbed her by the neck and tried to choke her. She further claimed that Ball had allegedly threatened to kill her.

A look at criminal records showed that Ball was previously arrested in 2018 for domestic battery in the third degree in Sebastian County.

According to a press release from prosecuting attorney Daniel Shue, Ball's bond was set at $500,000 cash, and he remains in custody as of this writing.

Ball has not yet entered a plea, and it remains unconfirmed if he has legal representation to speak on his behalf.

Ball’s arraignment is set for Feb. 2.