A 25-year-old Coon Rapids man now faces a murder charge in Anoka County District Court following the death Sunday night in the hospital of his five-month-old baby daughter, who he had allegedly shaken.
The murder charge replaces the first-degree assault charge (great bodily harm) and two counts of malicious punishment of a child, all felonies, on which VanHoutan was arraigned in court May 13.
With the murder charge, bail was set at $1 million without conditions or $500,000 with conditions.
According to the amended complaint, Alexis VanHoutan was ultimately diagnosed with, among other things, traumatic brain injury, non-accidental trauma, cardio-respiratory arrest, seizures, subdural hemorrhage and acute respiratory failure secondary to traumatic brain injury.
Once at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis, she “rapidly developed elevated intracranial pressure” and had seizure activity, for which doctors took aggressive measures to lower the pressure, the complaint states.
The baby was taken by ambulance to Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis, where she underwent surgery for life-threatening injuries.
The baby’s mother told police that she was being cared for by VanHoutan, the baby’s father, while the mother was at work.
When she left for work at about 4 a.m. the baby was asleep after being given a bottle by VanHoutan, but at about 9 a.m., she alleged she got a telephone call from VanHoutan indicating something was wrong with the baby, then another call about 10 a.m. stating the baby would not wake up and “her arms were frail.”
Using a forensic interview doll, VanHoutan allegedly demonstrated shaking the baby, causing her head to forcibly jerk back and forth.
