A little girl accused of brutally stomping on a baby boy’s head in 2018, causing his death, is currently in an adult mental health facility where she awaits trial, pending further psychological evaluation. The girl’s mother recently spoke to Inside Edition and insisted, however, it was a complete accident.
“There is no way it was done in any type of intentional way,” the girl’s mother told Inside Edition. “It was an accident. And you know what? I believe my daughter.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, unsealed court documents stated the tragic incident happened on October 30, 2018, at a licensed daycare in Tilden, Wisconsin. The girl, who’s currently being charged as an adult for first-degree intentional homicide, is accused of stomping on the head of a 6-month-old boy, Jaxon Liedl, killing him.
When Jaxon arrived at St. Joseph’s Hospital, his condition was so severe that he was flown to St. Paul Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A physician at the hospital contacted authorities and explained that the infant’s injuries didn’t appear to be accidental.
The physician said “force required (to cause the injuries) could be generated by a 10-year-old girl,” and “the manner of death was homicidal action.”
“Later that afternoon the sheriff’s department received a call from medical personnel, a doctor, attending this youth and indicated that his belief was that the injuries sustained by the six-month boy were not an accident,” Chippewa County Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk said last year.
According to the unsealed complaint, Jaxon had “bilateral skull fractures and bilateral subdural hematoma.”
“A tread pattern on (the girl’s) shoes appeared to match the patterned bruising on the head of the victim,” the complaint read.
The little girl admitted that she dropped Jaxon while holding him, according to the complaint. She said when the baby hit his head on a stool, she started stomping on his head with her feet. She said she then put him back in his crib and went outside to play with the other children.
Authorities interviewed daycare provider Amber Sweeney, who said she put the baby down for a nap at around 3 p.m. that afternoon. She said the little girl and two 6-year-olds who attend the daycare, arrived from school and played outside while the infant slept.
Sweeney admitted that the children at the daycare that day, which also included two 2-year-olds, were in and out of the house for “short periods” while the baby slept. She also said she spotted the 10-year-old sitting by herself close to a bay window in the kitchen on the day in question.
However, her mental conditioned has since worsened, according to Dr. Michael Hammer, who performed a competency exam in August and determined girl’s mental capacity regressed.
The child currently housed in the adult unit at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, and her bail has been set at $50,000.
The girl’s mother blames her mental regression on living in a facility without a playground and with adult women more than twice her age.
“She’s the youngest person there,” her mother told Inside Edition. “She’s 11 years old with women 40 years old and over.”
“At 10, your brain can’t process half the stuff that me or you or anybody else can.”
Meanwhile, the girl’s mother is hoping to raise enough money to bail the girl out; a family member started a GoFundMe campaign for assistance.
“She is beautiful, intelligent, smart, loves to sing; loves to play,” the mother said.
For additional information, check out Inside Edition’s full special on the case.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Here is a related episode.
[Feature Photo: Jaxon Liedl/Facebook]
