Dad charged with murder had posted that infant was ‘biggest cry baby,’ warrant says

A 22-year-old father has been indicted on charges of malice and felony murder in the death of his infant son.

The Houston County indictment against Ortiz Deion Smothers Jr. was entered into the public record Wednesday.

Four-month-old Omar Smothers was “a happy, loving little boy,” his obituary said.

According to an arrest warrant for Smothers, emergency responders were dispatched at 10:50 a.m. June 12 to 373 Faye Circle, Perry, to an unresponsive infant.

They believed the 4-month-old had probable skull fractures, and the infant was taken by ambulance to the Medical Center, Navicent Health, the warrant said.

On June 13, the infant was determined to be brain dead and was taken off life support and died.

Smothers had sole care of the infant starting about 7:30 a.m. June 12, the warrant said. He allegedly posted on Facebook about 30 minutes later that, “Omar was being the biggest cry baby right now, and I’m tired.”

At 10:33 a.m., Smothers then posted on Facebook that “Jr done went back to sleep — guess I’ll gas up,” or smoke marijuana, according to the warrant.

Another adult and other children asleep in the home “awoke to the baby scream and the accused come in and advise ... to call 911,” the warrant said.

At 10:50 a.m., 911 was summoned to the home when the infant was found to be unresponsive.

The autopsy found that the child’s head had multiple fractures “which took significant force and multiple impacts,” the warrant said. “Unresponsiveness would have resulted quickly.”

Smothers admittedly had a bad temper, according to the warrant.

Additionally, other witnesses told a sheriff’s investigator that they had seen and heard Smothers “strike the child and cuss at the child,” according to the warrant.

“All the circumstances of the killing show an abandoned and malignant heart,” the warrant said.

This story was originally published August 9, 2017 at 6:16 PM with the headline "Dad charged with murder had posted that infant was ‘biggest cry baby,’ warrant says."