An Illinois man was indicted on first-degree murder charges in the apparent beating death of his girlfriend's 4-year-old daughter, who dropped juice on an Xbox last month, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Prosecutors said they will seek a life sentence for Johnathan Fair, 19, of Waukegan, who was indicted on four counts of first-degree murder by a Lake County grand jury on Wednesday. The Lake County State Attorney’s Office said Fair is being held in lieu of $5 million bond, the newspaper reported.
His arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 17 in Lake County, the Tribune reported.
Fair was originally charged with aggravated battery to a child when he brought Skyler Mendez to a hospital on Dec. 13, telling medical personnel the child had suffered a head injury when she fell in their apartment while he was babysitting her, WMAQ reported. Assistant State Attorney Steve Scheller said Fair later admitted to police that he had shaken her "really hard" and beaten her because she spilled the juice, the Tribune reported.
Scheller also said that Fair allegedly kicked the girl down a hallway in the apartment, the newspaper reported. The mother of the child reportedly was not home at the time of the incident, according to WMAQ.
Mendez died four days later in Chicago, after an unsuccessful attempt to relieve swelling of her brain, the Tribune reported. Her death was ruled a homicide by the Cook County medical examiner's office, WMAQ reported.
Scheller said if Fair is convicted, he would face a sentence ranging from 60 years to natural life in prison, the Tribune reported.
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