A Hartford, Connecticut, man accused of burning his girlfriend's baby girl with scalding hot water during her bath is being held on $100,000.
Tylon L. Graham, 31, a part-time barber and the father of a 5- and 7-year-old, has been charged with risk of injury to a minor charge in the case. He is the boyfriend of the baby's mother and not the biological father of the child, police said.
He was in tears during his court appearance and yelled, "Man, come get me." ... "Don't leave me in here," to his brother as he left the court room.
Last Sunday, Hartford police responded to the home after receiving reports that a baby had been scalded by hot water during a bath in the kitchen sink and found her with first- and second-degree burns.
The 10-month-old baby was transported to Connecticut Children's Medical Center and transported to a hospital in Bridgeport with burns on 25 percent of her body, according to court documents. Police were originally told the baby suffered burns to more than 80 percent of her body, but that was not accurate.
Graham told police that he was babysitting the child and that his girlfriend told him to get her daughter ready to go to dinner at a friend's house. He was giving the baby a bath in the sink when he realized he forgot a towel and left the baby unattended to find one, according to court documents. While he was in the bedroom, he heard "chilling screams" from the kitchen and returned to find the baby on her stomach and trying to escape the sink as she was scalded by hot water flowing from the faucet, according to court documents.
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The baby's skin was shiny and peeling as a result and he called his girlfriend to tell her what happened and ran upstairs to ask a neighbor for help, the court documents say. The neighbor called 911.
Dr. Zoe Casey examined the baby, discovering "deep second degree burns to the lower half of her body, a bruise in the iddle of her forehead," also noticing a "linear pattern" on the left side of her face.
Physician Dr. Nina Livingston told police tha tthe injuries seemed "considtent with a hot water scald burn" and that there "appears to be a 'flow pattern' starting at her lower back/buttocks." She said that while Graham's explanation of what happened could be accurate, but told police that it was "suspicious due to the inflicted injury on the left side of" her face, according to court documents. However, the police officer in charge of the case said in court documents that a lot of people, including emergency personnel, handled the child, so there wasn't "any probable cause to establish that the inflicted injury on the left side" of the child's face "was inflicted by Tylone Graham."
Graham told police that he treats his baby like his own daughter and that he would never intentionally hurt her, according to court documents.
Court officials said Graham has a criminal history, which includes several felony convictions.
The little girl's family requested a protective order and the judge granted it, barring Graham from contact with the baby.
The prosecutor called this a strong case, while Graham's attorney said the case is not as open and shut as prosecutors would indicate, adding that the lead physician in the case could not completely rule out Graham's statement to police about the injuries being accidental during a bath.
Outside court on Monday, one of Graham's family members said he believed this was an accident.
The case was continued to Dec. 23.
Police have notified the state Department of Children and Families, which is working with investigators.
