A 20-year-old Fort Bliss soldier was arrested and charged with capital murder for allegedly beating his 2-year-old daughter to death Saturday in a Northeast El Paso apartment because the girl soiled her diaper, El Paso Police reported Sunday.
Dartarious Graham, 20, was charged with capital murder and booked into the El Paso county jail on a $250,000 bond, police reported.
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The child's mother, Elizabeth Graham, 23, who police said was not in the apartment at the time of the beating, but reportedly knew of earlier abuse to the child, and the father's cousin, Robert Franklin, 19, who allegedly witnessed the beating, also were arrested and charged with injury to child by omission.
The child, Peyton Graham, was pronounced dead after being taken to El Paso Children's Hospital
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Police were called to the hospital after the child died because the injuries appeared suspicious.
Dartarious Graham allegedly beat his daughter with a belt after she had soiled her diaper, reported police
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The police investigation, along with older bruises on Peyton Graham's body indicated the father had beaten the child other times, Baranyay said. However, Baranyay said he was unaware of any previous reports being filed with the police regarding abuse to the 2-year-old.
The mother was arrested because she allegedly was aware of the earlier abuse and failed to report it to authorities, he said.
Franklin reportedly heard Dartarious Graham beating the girl in her bedroom, and later witnessed him beating the girl when the father took her to another room, and did not try to stop the beating or call police,
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In the state of Texas, all adults must take steps to protect a child who is being abused, or report child abuse they know about, Baranyay said. That is why Franklin also was arrested.
"What we have to remember is there are options" when people know a child is being abused, Baranyay said. "And there's options in getting the help to the family. That can be simply calling the police, that can be contacting a counselor the family may have available to them, or contacting another family member.
"But in these cases, where you're actually seeing the child being physically beaten, and your capable of physically intervening, I think you have some responsibility to step forward and do that," he said. "At the minimum you need to call the police."
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The Grahams' reportedly have another child. But Baranyay said he did not know where the boy is now, or if he had been in the apartment at the time of the alleged beating.