A man is in custody after he confessed to squeezing a baby's head to stop the infant from crying.
According to court paperwork, on February 6, 21-year-old Armando Rendon was caring for the two-month-old victim at a home near 35th and Dunlap avenues. The baby's mother had left the residence for about thirty minutes, police said.
When the mother returned, she told police she found Rendon breathing hard and claiming that the baby had fallen out of bed. The mother saw that her child was having trouble breathing and immediately took the baby to Phoenix Children's Hospital for care.
Doctors diagnosed the baby with subdural hemorrhaging and bilateral skull fracture, meaning fractures to both sides of the skull and brain swelling. The injuries were determined to be life-threatening.
Court documents show that when detectives questioned Rendon, he confessed that, "while he could not stop the victim's crying, he (Rendon) squeezed the victim's head inside his forearm and bicep, causing the injuries."
Rendon has been charged with child abuse.
