A Texas man is charged with murder after allegedly playing video games while his infant daughter died in the bathtub, authorities say.
Justin Kidwell, 20, was arrested by law enforcement officials in Burkburnett, Texas, on Monday in connection with the child’s May 2023 death, Burkburnett Public Safety said in a statement.
Police responded to a distress call regarding ‘an unresponsive infant’ on May 14, 2023 in a Burkburnett home, the statement said.
They recovered an 8-month-old girl from the bathtub who was ‘tragically deceased,’ per the statement.
What Investigations Reveal
During a nearly year-long investigation conducted by Burkburnett police and the Texas Rangers, investigators found that the child died after she was allegedly ‘left unattended in the bathtub with the water running,’ the statement said.
Authorities also claimed that evidence found on Kidwell’s electronic devices allegedly shows he was ‘engrossed in video games while the child was left unsupervised.’
Kidwell was the only adult in the house at the time, police said.
His Confession
He allegedly admitted to officers that he placed the child in the bathtub with the water running and went to get his headphones and talk to a friend on Discord, a gaming platform.
He allegedly told officers that he had left the child for anywhere between 30 seconds to a few minutes, the affidavit claimed, according to the outlet.
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Not For 30 Seconds, But Long Enough
Officers noted in the affidavit that the water was left running long enough to overflow from the bathtub, flood an air vent in the bathroom and dampen the rugs outside the bathroom.
His friend on Discord called 911 when Kidwell allegedly found the child face down in the water, according to the affidavit, the outlet reported.
He Has a Prior Case of Child Endangerment
Kidwell has a prior offense regarding the safety of a child, online court records show.
In 2022, he pleaded guilty to a charge of child endangerment for allowing a minor under 15 to be near a controlled substance or consume it, according to records reviewed.
He is currently being held on $500,000 bond on the murder charge, court records show.
