6-Month-Old Dead After 'Sleep-Deprived' Man Threw Daughter To Ground For Crying

A man accused of killing his six-month-old baby threw her on the ground because he was sleep-deprived and she was continuously crying, a court in Australia heard Monday. Arron Colin Martin pleaded not guilty to the murder of his daughter.

Isabella Sully Jean Martin was left in the care of her father after her mother Nicole went to work in November 2017. Nicole returned home to find police and ambulance outside her house. She was later informed that her baby had died.

The court heard that the man “just snapped,” and threw the baby on the ground after shaking her because she was continuously crying. The baby was thrown from a height of about six feet, prosecutors said. Paramedics reached the house and took the baby to a nearby hospital where she was declared dead.

Arron's defense counsel John Rando told the court his client did not intend to harm the baby and that "something just happened" when she refused to sleep.

“You can begin to understand the dilemma here. They did the best they could. They loved the child but something was bound to happen,” Rando said, the Canberra Times reported.

Rando added that his client was in a state of shock after realizing what he had done and he also attempted to kill himself twice before surrendering himself at Armadale Police Station.

“I couldn’t handle it anymore... something in my head said that was enough... she just wouldn’t stop. She just kept crying and it got louder and louder... so I threw her on the floor,” Arron told the police during questioning.

The court heard the man did not seek medical attention after the child was injured and instead placed her back in the crib. Investigators believe the baby might have been alive for a few hours after suffering injuries.

The baby’s mother told the court Monday that Aaron did not tell her he was struggling to look after his daughter. She said there was nothing unusual about the baby’s routine the day she died.

Kathryn Hill, a police officer, said Aaron looked fearful when he surrendered himself to the police. He reportedly told an officer that he had “hurt his child.”

"... he was crying when he was talking ... his whole body was shaking," she said.

The trial was ongoing and the exact charges against Aaron remain unclear.