Who Is Darrell Reynolds? Father Killed Toddler Daughter By Whipping Her With Belt In Georgia, Police Charge

A Georgia man is facing a life in prison after he admitted to beating his 4-year-old daughter to death in their Decatur home. Darrell A. Reynolds appeared Thursday in the Macon County Circuit Court, where a judge distributed documents containing his charges, the Herald and Review reported. Unlike the typical 60 year limit in most first-degree murder cases, Reynolds faces a life sentence because the victim was younger than 12 years old.

After his daughter was brutally beaten Aug. 31, Reynolds told police, “I just killed my daughter” during an interview. Amarrah C. Reynolds was rushed to Decatur Memorial Hospital in an unresponsive state and was ultimately pronounced dead. The documents filed by the Macon County State's Attorney's Office stated that the death of Amarrah C. Reynolds "resulted from exceptionally brutal or heinous behavior indicative of wanton cruelty," ABC 7 Chicago reported.

In his statement, a detective wrote that Reynolds confessed to striking his daughter on the legs, head and body with a belt. The girl’s mother, Dalvon Taylor, told police she saw the father of her child kick their daughter as she lay on the floor. She also admitted that Reynolds had been abusing Amarrah for about two years.

In addition, Taylor said “the abuse typically consisted of Darrell hitting Amarrah in the face and torso, hitting her forcefully with a belt numerous times, which caused welts to her arms, back, legs, and torso, severe pinching, and grabbing the back of her neck and lifting her off the ground.”

Reynolds, who is being held on a $2 million bond, is due back in court Sept. 28 for a preliminary hearing. Taylor, who is being held on a $500,000 bond, is facing a child endangerment charge, which is punishable by a prison sentence of two to 10 years.