A Marietta man has been convicted of second-degree murder after prosecutors said he failed to get help for his infant daughter.
A Cobb County jury found Sidrick Raymone Melancon Sr., 32, guilty on all charges related to the death of his daughter Laura Higgenbotham, including second-degree murder, second-degree cruelty to children and two counts of influencing a witness. Higgenbotham, just 10-months-old, died in August 2017.
On Aug. 5, authorities said Melancon drove the unresponsive infant - who was purple at the time - to an urgent care center where witnesses testified the baby's father dropped the child “like a sack of potatoes.” Prosecutors said earlier that morning, the 10-month-old's mother, Sadai Higgenbotham, texted Melancon that she had been unable to wake the infant.
After leaving the child at the facility, prosecutors said Melancon then drove to the liquor store with another person before running more errands.
Authorities rushed Higgenbotham to WellStar Kennestone Hospital before airlifting the 10-month-old to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. That's where doctors discovered the infant had suffered massive bleeding on the brain, bleeding in the eye, soft-tissue trauma to her neck, and old and new fractures to her right leg.
She was ultimately declared brain dead and removed from life support.
Officials said the 10-month-old and her mother Sadai lived with Melancon, his long-term girlfriend Gerallyn and their kids in an apartment.
Prosecutors said Melancon testified that he did not know he was the infant's father at the time of her death, despite him having a sexual relationship with Sadai at the time.
The two women reportedly worked to support the household so Melancon could spend most of his time as an unpaid apprentice hairstylist - though he was the one who established and enforced the rules for living there, including when each woman was allowed to use the bathroom.
Prosecutors said Melancon acknowledged that Gerallyn had complained to him about Sadai’s treatment of the infant and that Gerallyn had contacted the Department of Children’s Services about the abuse, though he denied trying to stop her from talking to investigators for fear that the children would be taken away.
Investigators, however, reviewed hundreds of text messages and recorded jail calls in which Melancon discussed what happened to the child and also directed Gerallyn and Sadai to lie to Cobb County police.
In one jail call, Melancon was recorded saying: “I didn’t do anything to that baby, but I didn’t do anything for that baby. So … that’s on me.”
Prosecutors said that lack of intervention "shut down the opportunities" for the child's life to be saved.
“This man saw, heard, and was told about everything happening to this defenseless child," said one of the assistant district attorneys for the case. "Despite all of these warnings, the defendant ignored them, and shut down the opportunities for this child’s life to be saved."
The jury found Melancon guilty after a trial that lasted more than a week. He is set to be sentenced Dec. 21 and could face a maximum of 50 years in prison.
Meanwhile, Sadai Higgenbotham, 27, is charged with malice murder and other charges related to the child’s death, and is awaiting trial.
