He admitted hitting the baby in the head and shaking and squeezing her, Pinellas sheriff’s deputies said.

LARGO – A Largo man has been charged with murder in the beating death of his 7-week-old daughter, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said.

Artem Eydelman, 29, of Largo, was charged with one count each of First Degree Murder, Violation of Probation- Robbery by Sudden Snatching, and Violation of Probation- Dealing in Stolen Property.

Deputies said they were called to Eydelman’s Largo residence about 5:04 p.m. Nov. 17 for a report of an unresponsive child. When deputies arrived, paramedics were tending to 7-week-old Gwendolyn
Eydelman who was unresponsive and not breathing. The baby was taken to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Deputies said Eydelman, Gwendolyn’s father, was at the home caring for her while the infant’s mother, Mariah Samon, 26, was at work. (Detectives said Eydelman was not Gwendolyn’s biological father. Samon told detectives she first met Eydelman when she was three months pregnant with Gwendolyn. Eydelman signed Gwendolyn’s birth certificate when she was born.)

Eydelman at first told detectives that he fed Gwendolyn and laid her down in her bassinet, which was in Eydelman’s and Samon’s bedroom, before falling asleep in his bed. Deputies said Eydelman told them that he returned about 15 minutes later and found Gwendolyn in her bassinet unresponsive and not breathing. Eydelman said he alerted a family member in the home and called 911.

Doctors told detectives that Gwendolyn had suffered a severe skull fracture consistent with high force impact, bleeding on the brain, and numerous rib fractures consistent with compression trauma.

Detectives said doctors removed Gwendolyn from life support and she succumbed to her injuries at about 4:45 p.m. Nov. 19.

During the course of the investigation, detectives said they noted several inconsistencies in Eydelman’s statements. After further investigation, detectives said they learned that Eydelman hit Gwendolyn in the head and squeezed the child’s midsection before she lost consciousness.

Detectives interviewed Eydelman on Monday (Nov. 26). During that interview, deputies said Eydelman admitted that he hit Gwendolyn in the head with a closed fist out of frustration while changing her diaper. Eydelman also admitted to shaking the child and squeezing the child’s midsection before calling 911.

Pinellas Sheriff | Crime | Murder | Arrests | Tampabay News

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