NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's heartbreaking: A four-month-old baby girl is dead, and her mother's boyfriend — who had a history of child abuse — will now be charged with murder.
How it came to this is a shocking story.
The child's mother knew about her boyfriend's violent past but still left him alone with her daughter.
"I wanted to show people that I could be the mom everyone expected of me."
Jessica Petty had already lost custody of two children to DCS.
"I'm a recovering drug addict. I was on drugs for many years."
So, Petty viewed the birth of her third child, Neveah, as a new beginning.
But her four-month-old little girl died Wednesday — Metro police say — at the hands of Petty's boyfriend, Bobby Randall Conner.
Conner had just been released from jail in August after serving a year for aggravated child neglect.
He also had served four years in the past for aggravated child abuse.
Both Petty and Neveah's father, Eddie Wagner — who shared custody of the girl — were aware of Conner's criminal past.
"It is my first daughter. I'm hurt."
Wagner begged Petty to let him take the child — that it was not safe for her with Conner in the home.
"I wanted the mom to realize this was not okay. But you couldn't convince her. She is stubborn and doesn't listen to other people."
Wagner reported it to DCS, which did a welfare check and found Neveah unharmed.
And, under the law, DCS could not remove a healthy child from a home simply because Conner had prior abuse convictions.
It would have been different had it been sexual abuse.
So, with the mother's permission, Conner stayed, and she left her daughter with him when she went to work.
"I didn't do anything to my daughter. I was okayed by DCS to leave her with him. And if anything DCS should answer why they allowed him to be around my kid," Petty said.
She was asked, "Knowing his history, wasn't there a risk you were taking?"
Her answer: "No comment."
Doctors at Vanderbilt say Neveah suffered serious internal head injuries, including retinal hemorrhaging, the result of abuse and severe shaking.
Conner was initially charged with aggravated child abuse.
Now, with the child's death, the District Attorney will upgrade the charge to murder.
Conner is locked up on a $500,000 bond.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nick.beres@newschannel5.com.
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