JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Steven Strahm has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his 7-week-old daughter in Dec. 2020.
He will be sentenced in the crime on April 7.
Strahm was charged in 2020 for the killing of a family or household member. The infant's aunt, Britney Kilzer, confirmed that the victim was his daughter.
A prior court document from January 2021 said Strahm threw the victim against a wall four or five times from Dec. 6 to Dec. 9, 2020, with a great amount of force; dropped the victim, causing her to hit her head on Dec. 11; and failed to seek medical attention out of fear.
The document also states when the child was examined, she "suffered from head injuries and seizures sufficiently severe to cause anoxic injury to the left side of her brain. Her physical examination revealed evidence of both physical abuse and neglect."
The infant, identified by loved ones as Scarlet, spent two weeks in home hospice and died on Jan. 3, according to a GoFundMe page her mother's family set up.
Kilzer said her sister was in a relationship with the suspect, and there was no past abuse to their knowledge.
A JSO arrest report from Dec. 19 says Strahm confessed. He was originally arrested on charges of aggravated child abuse and child neglect.
