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MIDVALE — A man who police say smashed a 4-month-old girl's head into the corner of a metal door after becoming extremely frustrated was charged Friday with murder.
Zachary Jarred Walton, 28, is charged in 3rd District Court with murder, a first-degree felony, and two counts of aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony.
On Aug. 25, Walton was babysitting a 4-month-old girl at the Road Home Shelter, 529 W. 9th Ave. in Midvale, while the girl's mother worked. Walton had watched the woman's children on several occasions with no problems, according to charging documents.
But on this day, investigators say by 6 p.m. Walton became frustrated with the child's crying, later telling police that "his frustration was an 8 out of 10," the charges state.
Walton allegedly told police he decided to take the girl to the roof of the building to try and calm her down and relieve his stress.
"Walton stated that when he was in the elevator, he thought to himself, 'How do I get her to shut up?' Walton stated that he saw the corner of the elevator and while cradling (the girl) in his left arm, he smashed her head into the metal corner of the elevator where the elevator curves to the sliding doors," the charges allege.
When that made the girl cry harder, he hit her head against the corner of the elevator a second time, the charges state, this time with more force. At that point, he said the infant stopped crying and "Walton thought to himself, 'What had I done?'"
At the time of Walton's arrest, police stated the girl was not expected to live.
"The child was taken to Primary Children's Hospital and was found to have skull fractures, a brain bleed and broken ribs" and "was taken off life support and died on Sept. 6," the charges state.
Child abuse resources:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).
Help with children
Those who feel stressed out with a child, who need a break or who feel like they need counseling or training can reach out to one of the following agencies:
- The Family Support Center has 15 locations throughout the state and offers a free crisis nursery for parents who have to keep appointments or who are stressed out. They also offer counseling and family mentoring. Call 801-955-9110 or visit familysupportcenter.org/contact.php for more information.
- Prevent Child Abuse Utah provides home visiting in Weber, Davis, and Box Elder counties. Parent Educators provide support, education, and activities for families with young children. Their statewide education team offers diverse trainings on protective factors, digital safety, bullying, and child sex trafficking. They are available for in-person or virtual trainings and offer free online courses for the community at pcautah.org.
- The Office of Home Visiting works with local agencies to provide home visits to pregnant women and young families who would like to know more about being parents. Home visitors are trained and can provide information about breastfeeding, developmental milestones, toilet training, nutrition, mental health, home safety, child development, and much more. Find out more at homevisiting.utah.gov.
- The Safe Haven law allows birth parents in Utah to safely and anonymously give up custody of their newborn child at any hospital in the state, with no legal consequences and no questions asked. The child's mother can drop off the child, or the mother can ask someone else to do it for her. The newborns should be dropped off at hospitals that are open 24 hours a day. Newborns given up in this manner will be cared for by the hospital staff, and the Utah Division of Child and Family Services will find a home for the child. For more information, visit utahsafehaven.org or call the 24-hour hotline at 866-458-0058.
