A Hammond man faces up to 16 years in prison after admitting he hurt his 5-month-old daughter so badly in 2019 that she developed cerebral palsy from her injuries, court records show.
Eric Devonta Antoine Smith, 28, signed a plea deal filed Friday for neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 3 felony.
If a judge accepts the deal, his sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 25.
The girl, now 5, initially had brain, spine and eye injuries from “abusive head trauma,” documents state.
She is in a residential care home, unable to walk or talk, suffering from epilepsy and seizures, and is at least partially blind, among other ailments.
Documents state Smith was left alone with his two children around noon Oct. 7, 2019 at which time the infant was “smiling and giggling and seemed fine.” At 10 p.m., the baby was taken to an area hospital, suspected of having seizures, the affidavit states.
A CT scan at the hospital showed “a loss of grey-white matter differentiation commonly associated with oxygen deprivation consistent with choking or smothering,” according to the affidavit.
Possible sexual abuse may also have been involved, according to details in the affidavit.
Smith was originally charged with one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death or catastrophic injury, a Level 1 felony, and faced 20-40 years in prison.
Post-Tribune archives contributed.
