Medical Examiner Dr. James Metcalf testified Tuesday that four-week-old Olivia Destiny Dunton died from multiple blunt force injury.
He said the child had her skull fractured, had 13 bruises on her face and suffered nine broken ribs.
Dr. Metcalf said some of the injuries were around a week old. Two of her front ribs had been broken and later rebroken, he said. That could have been caused by someone squeezing her, he stated.
Following the testimony, General Sessions Court Judge Gerald Webb bound charges against 26-year-old Ivan Dunton to the Grand Jury. He set the bond at $2 million for criminal homicide and $1 million for aggravated child abuse.
Dr. Metcalf said the injuries were not caused by the child falling down a set of steps. He said if that had happened there would have been injuries to the torso.
He said, "This was inflicted trauma. Someone did this to the baby. There were numerous blows to the head."
He also said the child was malnourished and dehydrated. Olivia was born at over seven pounds, but was 6.1 pounds at the time of her death.
Investigator Corey Stokes said Dunton was interviewed for seven hours. He first said the child had fallen down a set of 13 steel and concrete steps. He later said the child fell from about halfway down the steps and did not go all the way to the bottom.
Dunton said in the interview that he did shake the child out of frustration.
The witness said Dunton was upset that morning because his girlfriend and the mother of his child chose to walk to the doctor rather than wait for him to get the children ready and take her.
