UPDATE: Abused 3-week-old baby dies12:13 PM Mountain Standard Time on Tuesday, September 15, 2009
CHANDLER -- Police say the 3-week-old baby was was abused, allegedly by her own father, has died.
The baby girl's father, Brian Mark Hopf, was arrested after the baby was admitted to the hospital with life-threatening injuries more than a week ago.
The 25-year-old was facing charges of child abuse. Now that the infant has died, an additional charge of homicide has been filed against Hopf.
ORIGINAL REPORT>>>>>>>>>
Father allegedly physically and sexually assaults newborn
CHANDLER – A 3-week old baby is fighting for her life at a Valley hospital, and police believe her father is the one who put there.
Brian Mark Hopf, 25, was arrested after his baby daughter was admitted to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
He is now being held at the Fourth Avenue Jail, accused of abusing the infant.
That abuse, according to police, was both physical and sexual. Chandler police detectives say it's the worst case of child abuse they've ever seen. Hopf's bond has been set at $500,000.
His daughter, meanwhile, lies in the hospital. Her injuries include three skull fractures, broken ribs and irreversible brain damage.
Hopf told police he is a meth user and those injuries were caused after he accidentally poked his daughter in the eye while trying to feed her milk. He said she started crying so powerfully she stopped breathing so he tried to give her CPR. He said he then tripped while carrying the baby to her crib and dropped her. According to Hopf, she hit her head on the door jamb when she fell.
According to doctors, that's not how the baby was hurt. They say her injuries are consistent with blunt-force trauma. They also say there is evidence that the 3-week-old baby girl was sexually abused, as well.
The baby's mother reportedly was asleep when all of this happened. She said she noticed the bruises on her daughter's body when she woke up. She took the baby to the hospital. That's when doctors determined the infant had been abused.
Hopf has been arrested before for domestic violence. Police say his rap sheet also includes arrests for drugs, which he has admitted using.
The child-abuse charges Hopf faces now could be changed to homicide charges if the baby does not survive.
http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/stories/chandler-news-090809-father-child-abuse.15e6f55b0.html
