An Arlington, Texas, man was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for beating his girlfriend’s 18-month old daughter to death and burying her body in a small grave.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that Joshua Beard, 24, called Tylea Moore a “little demon” as he beat her to death in July 2014. The slain child’s mother, Alexis Botello, 20, screamed as Beard battered the baby and threw her so hard that she bounced off the bed and fell to the floor. He then stomped on the toddler’s stomach until she died.

After the couple unsuccessfully performed CPR, they reportedly put Moore’s body in their car and drove to Wal-Mart to buy shovels. They then drove to Parker County and buried the 18-month-old under a bridge, the newspaper reported.

The couple then rented a room at an Extended Stay in Arlington. The following day, Beard was arrested on drug and traffic charges unrelated to Moore’s murder. During his incarceration, Beard called his aunt, who went to the Extended Stay and met with Botello.

The Star-Telegram wrote that Botello told the aunt that Moore was with her grandmother. The aunt went on to tell investigators that the grandmother claimed she hadn’t seen the child in more than a month.

Two days later, Arlington police spoke to Botello while investigating reports of a missing child. She ultimately confessed that Beard had killed her daughter but maintained that “he didn’t mean to do it,” according to the Dallas Morning News.

Moore died from blunt force traumatic injuries. The Star-Telegram reported that she had bruises all over her body and that Beard had bitten her during the attack. 

“She was a baby,” grandfather Ricardo Botello said of Moore in court. “She was perfect.”

In addition to a life sentence, Beard was handed an additional 20 years for burying his girlfriend’s murdered child.

The victim’s mother was charged with capital murder and tampering with evidence and is being held on a $575,000 bond. Her trial is pending.

[Featured Image: Joshua Beard, Alexis Botello, and Tylea Moore/Facebook]