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Texas parents arrested after dad admits to repeatedly punching infant, police say

LUBBOCK, Texas – Authorities arrested a Texas couple Tuesday on felony charges after their 1-month-old baby was admitted to the hospital with critical injuries....
couple

LUBBOCK, Texas – Authorities arrested a Texas couple Tuesday on felony charges after their 1-month-old baby was admitted to the hospital with critical injuries.

Gary Lee Fox, 20, and Makayla Fricke, 22, both face felony charges of injury to a child intentionally and knowingly causing serious bodily injury, according to Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office records.

Staff at Covenant Medical Center contacted police after diagnosing the boy’s extensive injuries, including brain bleeding, fractured ribs and skull and bruising in the groin area, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

Fox initially denied harming the boy, but investigators say he later admitted to punching the child at least five to seven times, but “probably a lot more than that,” according to police records obtained by KCBD.

Fox said his son’s cries and the fact that his wife was napping, forcing him to change the boy’s diaper, had angered him, according to police. The report says Fox admitted to squeezing hard on the newborn’s testicles and feet while changing the diaper.

The boy’s mother at first told investigators she didn’t know how the child was injured, but later admitted that Fox had confessed to beating the child out of frustration, according to police.

The couple also have a 1-year-old daughter who is now in the custody of Child Protective Services.

Court records show Fox’s bail was set at $200,000 and Fricke’s at $75,000.

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