Teen Father, 17, Kills Newborn Son After Ex Decides to Keep the Baby: Police

A Texas teen is behind bars after police say he killed his own newborn to get out of paying child support.

According to News Channel 8, Caleb Blake Brown, 17, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his son, Emerson Ziesmer, who was 24 days old when he died.

The incident happened in Carrolton, Texas, reportedly while Brown was alone briefly with the infant on August 9. Brown and the baby’s mother, Rachel Ziesmer, took Emerson to an emergency room in Plano afterward, but the infant was subsequently transferred to the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas, where he passed away.

An autopsy indicated that Emerson had a lacerated liver and several misplaced ribs.

“While he was briefly alone with the infant on the afternoon of Aug. 9, Brown alleged in a probable cause affidavit for his arrest warrant that he squeezed him and repeatedly hurled him into the air, eventually hitting the ceiling fan,” police said.

The Dallas Morning News reports that investigators determined through social media and cellphone records that Brown didn’t want to be a father was upset at the infant’s mother “for not aborting [the baby] or putting him up for adoption.”

Officers also obtained video footage that allegedly showed Brown calling his son names such as “ugly” and “dumb,” and putting up his middle finger toward him.

This wasn’t the first time abuse happened, according to Ziesmer. She told police that when Emerson was around 10 days old, she heard a loud wail and walked in to find Brown “squeezing him [the baby] around his stomach,” the arrest affidavit states.

Afterward, Brown wasn’t left alone with Emerson, except for a few brief minutes on August 9, when Zeismer went to the bathroom to change clothes. Again, she heard her baby’s cries and walked in the room where Brown and the baby were at. She noticed Emerson “turning green” and immediately took him to the hospital, according to the arrest affidavit.

Brown later reportedly admitted that after the baby hit his head on the ceiling fan, he squeezed the infant again and believes the final squeeze is what killed him.

Brown remains behind bars on a $2 million bond. Check back for updates.

Meanwhile, the victim’s family created a GoFundMe page to help with expenses.

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