Tennessee Father Charged With Murder After His 2-Week-Old Daughter Dies From Head Trauma

TENNESSEE — A father was charged with murder after his two-week-old daughter died from a serious head injury, according to a report published by Metro on April 21, 2022.

The case involved Johnathon Lemons, who was accused of causing the fatal injuries to his newborn daughter. Police said the infant began showing signs of an injury while she was in his care. Lemons initially denied causing the injury and told investigators there had been no accident.

Nearly a week later, according to authorities, Lemons asked to speak with a detective and reportedly said he had tripped and dropped the baby onto a carpeted floor.

The medical examiner determined that the child died from blunt-force head trauma.

Serious Charges Filed

Lemons was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect. The charges reflected the seriousness of the allegations surrounding the infant’s death.

At the time of his arrest, Lemons was reportedly on parole after previously being convicted of attempted first-degree murder in Knox County, Tennessee.

Authorities said investigators contacted his parole officer while attempting to serve a new indictment. Lemons had reportedly moved to Macon County and was eventually located at a hospital in Stanford, Kentucky, where officials said he was awaiting the birth of another child.

He was taken into custody as a fugitive from Tennessee.

The case raised serious questions about the circumstances that led to the infant’s fatal injury and the responsibility of adults caring for vulnerable newborns.

Source: Metro — Dad Charged With Murder of Two-Week-Old Daughter