A Maine father with a prolonged rap sheet has been charged with homicide after his 12-week-old daughter died from accidents sustained whereas her dad was caring for her solo for the primary time.
Shawn Samuels, 24, made the preliminary 911 name, telling dispatchers that his new child child Lyla Samuels was “turning blue,” at round 11:40 a.m. on Jan. 16 from the household house in Orrington, close to Bangor.
“She went limp and he or she turned blue round her eyes and mouth,” Samuels advised the dispatcher, in accordance with an affidavit by state police Detective Denvery Roy, seen by the Press Herald.
The dispatcher advised Samuels to begin CPR, and three minutes into the decision, a crying sound may very well be heard within the background, the affidavit stated.
Whereas en route, emergency providers had been advised by the dispatcher {that a} relative had referred to as and reported that Samuels “is alone with the kid for the primary time,” as Lyla’s mom, Leah Collins, had been on maternity depart up till that time, the Boston Globe reported.
Samuels despatched Lyla’s mom a number of Snapchat photos to replace her on the morning of Jan. 16, and denied he had gotten violent together with his daughter, in accordance with the affidavit.
“Samuels states he by no means shook Lyla Samuels, he was not forceful together with her, nor was he indignant together with her,” Det. Roy wrote within the affidavit.
The daddy, who has earlier costs for home violence and stalking, admitted that he “bounced his daughter up and down and he barely swung her aspect to aspect in his arms,” to cease her crying, in accordance with the affidavit.
Emergency providers carried out CPR on the infant to get her respiration once more, earlier than dashing her to a hospital in Bangor, police stated.
Attributable to her surprising accidents, Lyla’s father was arrested on Jan. 17 on costs of home violence elevated aggravated assault (Class A) and two counts of violation of bail (Class E), Maine State Police stated in a press release.
The toddler had retinal hemorrhages in each of her eyes, indicating abusive head trauma, in addition to a number of rib fractures at numerous levels of therapeutic, in accordance with the affidavit.
Lyla died on Jan. 18, with an post-mortem discovering she had died from a number of accidents and the style of loss of life was murder, in accordance with the affidavit.
Samuels was subsequently charged with homicide whereas in custody on the Penobscot County Jail on the sooner costs, state police stated.
He was arraigned by way of video and pleaded not responsible on the Penobscot County Judicial Heart in Bangor final Wednesday, the place he was ordered held on $250,000 bail.
Samuels is due in court docket subsequent on Feb. 13.
He was already resulting from face trial subsequent month on six costs of home violence assault, stalking, and restraint, after being indicted in Could 2025, in accordance with court docket information obtained by the Bangor Day by day Information.
Samuels was beforehand indicted on two counts of home violence aggravated assault, two counts of home violence assaults, one prison restraint and one home violence stalking, all going down in 2022 and 2023, court docket information present.
A earlier accomplice alleged that he tried to strangle her “10 to fifteen occasions,” and bodily restrained her throughout arguments, in addition to following her round city in his automotive, in accordance with the affidavit seen by the Bangor Day by day Information.
On one event, he picked her up and bodily threw her out of his condo, inflicting her to interrupt her center finger as she hit the bottom, the affidavit states.
Lyla’s mom advised the police that Samuels may “get indignant quick,” however stated that he had by no means been violent or abusive to her within the relationship, the Bangor Day by day Information reported.
A GoFundMe elevating cash for Lyla’s household had already exceeded its goal of $10,000 by Monday morning.
“This household is cherished by so many individuals. They might by no means ask for one of these assist on their very own, however we refuse to permit them to undergo alone or assume this burden with out the assist of their associates, household, and group,” the attraction reads.
