A baby girl is dead and the mother’s boyfriend is accused of killing her.
35 year old Talawrence Tennell was arrested for the murder of seven month old Hailey Burleson.
According to the arrest report from Bryan police, when the infant’s mother came home Wednesday afternoon she found Tennell holding the child, who was already blue, and he had blood on the front of his shirt.
Tennell told detectives he and the baby were sleeping on his bed. When he woke up he found her on the floor and was not making any noises. Tennell said he called no one and sat in the chair holding the child until his girlfriend came home.
According to the arrest report, a doctor told investigators the victim sustained injuries that were not consistent with falling three feet off Tennell’s bed. The doctor stated the injuries appeared to have been caused by blunt force trauma.
The injuries included multiple skull fractures, a broken left femur, a dislocated or broken right wrist, rib fractures, multiple abrasions on her face and head, and bruises on her chest and the bottoms of her feet.
During the police interview, Tennell said he was under the influence of PCP after a bottle of the liquid broke in a pants pocket and the drug was absorbed into his skin.
Tennell is held in the Brazos County jail in lieu of a $50,000 dollar bond.
Click below to hear comments from Officer Kelley McKethan visiting with WTAW’s Chelsea Reber.