Bail denied for Grand Crossing man charged with killing his 5-month-old daughter
Dangelo Jackson | Chicago Police
CHICAGO (SUN TIMES MEDIA WIRE) - A man is accused of killing his 5-month-old daughter last year at their Grand Crossing neighborhood home on the South Side.
Dangelo Jackson, 21, was taken into custody Friday and charged with first-degree murder, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
He appeared in court Monday and was denied bail.
Paramedics responded about 6 p.m. on Oct. 23, 2017 to Jackson’s home in the 1300 block of East 70th Street when he reported his infant daughter, Janylah Jackson, was unresponsive, according to authorities.
When paramedics arrived she wasn’t breathing.
Janylah was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 6:54 p.m., the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said.
Prosecutors said Janylah was in good health when her mother went to work about 2 p.m. that day and she was left alone with her father.
An autopsy found the girl died of multiple injuries from abusive trauma and her death was ruled a homicide, authorities said.
She suffered blunt head and neck trauma, as well as trauma to her torso and extremities. Her injuries were consistent with those found during significant “acceleration and deceleration situations” which can include shaking, prosecutors said. Her injuries were also determined to have been inflicted within hours of when she was taken for treatment.
Other injuries suffered by the girl were consistent with “non-accidental trauma,” prosecutors said the medical examiner’s office found.
During interviews with Jackson he gave several different explanations for how his daughter was hurt, including that he possibly dropped her, causing her to hit her head, prosecutors said. He also told investigators he might have lost his balance and fallen on top of the girl, hitting her in the chest with his head.
Prosecutors said his explanations were not consistent with the findings of the medical examiner’s office.
The Department of Child and Family Services was conducting an ongoing investigating into an allegation of abuse, a spokeswoman for the department said.
The agency did not have prior contact with the family.
Jackson was scheduled to return to court Feb. 23 and was being held at the Cook County Jail.