Upgraded charges expected after Wichita baby dies
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 5 years AGO
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 9-month-old baby girl died, days after she was injured, allegedly by her mother's boyfriend, Wichita police said.
Maela Flores died Wednesday after being hospitalized in critical condition on Friday.
Wichita police Officer Charlie Davidson said he expects first-degree murder charges will be filed against Brietan Ron Rader, 25.
Rader was charged Tuesday with two counts of child abuse, one count of marijuana cultivation and one count of possessing drug paraphernalia. He is being held in the Sedgwick County Jail on $250,000 bond.
Prosecutors allege in court documents that Rader shook the child and either tortured or “cruelly beat” her. Rader also was illegally cultivating 10 marijuana plants, according to the charging document, The Wichita Eagle reported.
Two other children, a 6-year-old boy and a 2-year-old boy, were at the home and uninjured. They were taken into police protective custody.