Lakewood Man Charged With Murder In Death Of 3-Month-Old Daughter

LAKEWOOD, NJ — A Lakewood man has been charged with murder in the death of his 3-month-old daughter, who authorities say died of injuries she suffered after being shaken, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Thursday.

David A. Smith, 36, is accused of shaking his daughter so hard that it caused significant internal injuries, including blunt force trauma to her head, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Smith called 911 on Dec. 5 to report his daughter unresponsive, Billhimer said. EMS personnel took her to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, and from there she was transferred to Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where doctors found she was suffering from significant internal injuries, he said.

The baby died Tuesday, and an autopsy Wednesday by the Ocean County medical examiner determined the cause of death was shaken baby syndrome with blunt force trauma to the head, Billhimer said.

Investigators determined Smith was home with the baby on Dec. 5 when she was injured. Smith claimed he called 911 immediately when he found her unresponsive, but he was identified as the person responsible for the infant’s death and arrested Wednesday, Billhimer said.

"The facts and circumstances uncovered in this investigation are beyond tragic. What happened to this innocent baby is disturbing," Billhimer said. "We in law enforcement will always stand up and fight for the most vulnerable members in our society, and no one is more vulnerable than an infant. Parents are supposed to protect, not harm, their children. Justice will be accomplished for this precious baby."

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Special Victims Unit, High Tech Crime Unit, and Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, Lakewood Township police and detectives, Jackson Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit investigated.

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