Omaha Man Repeatedly Chokes Girlfriend's Daughter With Scarf; Charged

An Omaha man was sentenced to up to 52 years in prison Tuesday for repeatedly choking his girlfriend's 2-year-old daughter with a scarf as she lost and regained consciousness.

David J. Coleman, 38, strangled the child twice on Dec. 14, 2020, and filmed his actions.

Two days later, the child's mother stumbled upon the video on Coleman's phone which showed "hanging her 2-year-old daughter with a pink scarf, by her neck, from a shelving unit, causing her to become strangled," Lincoln Journal-Star reported, citing an affidavit filed at the Douglas County Court.

The toddler, whose identity wasn't revealed reportedly survived the multiple chokings, each of which lasted for not less than a minute, according to Lincoln Journal-Star.

Omaha Police Detective Alexis Boults found another video from Coleman's phone which showed the girl seated on a car and being choked with the same pink scarf, turning "red and blue in the face," Boults wrote in the affidavit.

"The victim appeared to try crying but was unable to because the ligature was pulled so tightly by the suspect to stop her from breathing, speaking or crying," the affidavit said.

"It has changed this child’s life in ways we may never know," prosecutor Molly Keane said in court on Tuesday. "How she survived this torture is a mystery. But she did — luckily for her, luckily for her family and luckily for this defendant. Because he would be charged with first-degree murder," she added.

Coleman later blamed methamphetamine for the child abuse. He pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and child abuse charges, according to court records.

Coleman was charged with two counts of child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury and additionally, four more years in prison for possession of a knife. Coleman won't be eligible for parole until after 42 years in prison. Without parole, he will have to serve a prison term of 52 years.

"There was extreme violence here," Douglas County District Judge Duane Dougherty said in court, according to Latin Times. "When someone harms a child that age — or no matter the age — in that nature, it’s as bad as it gets," said the judge.