He beat his baby’s mother when she was pregnant. Now, he’s charged with that infant’s murder.
An Oklahoma man is being charged with murder after police say he killed his nine-month old son, a year after he pled guilty to beating the child’s mother while she was pregnant with the boy.
Police arrested 25-year-old Hunter Smiley on April 15, just three days after his infant son, Briggs, died.
On April 10, police responded to a home after a call that a baby was unresponsive; there they found baby Briggs, who was under Smiley’s care. Briggs was rushed to the hospital, where he had internal bleeding in his brain and hemorrhaging behind his eyes. He died on April 12.
This wasn’t the first time Smiley acted violently toward the child; in January 2023 he pled guilty to domestic assault and battery against a pregnant woman after he beat Briggs’ mother with pieces of a door he broke. She was pregnant at the time.
According to the Daily Mail, Briggs’ mother had received a “no contact” order from the court following the assault, but she later asked the court to lift the order so that Smiley could be involved in his son’s birth.
“It is tragic when a life is taken so early,” said District Attorney Greg Mashburn. “We will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law to be the voice of this victim who is unable to speak for himself,” he continued. “Thank you to the Newcastle Police Department and the OSBI for your hard work on this case so we may seek justice for [Briggs].”
Domestic violence is one of the greatest threats that women face while pregnant. Live Action News has repeatedly shared stories of women who were killed or beaten while pregnant, most often at the hands of their partners.
Smiley remains in custody on a $5 million bond, as he awaits a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 22.
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