Rockdale police have filed a charge of capital murder against a 30-year-old local resident in connection with the death of a 20-month-old girl Monday.
Lt. Stephen Goodrich said Patricia Ann Rader was pronounced dead at a San Gabriel Street residence by Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Andy Isaacs.
Shawn Vincent Boniello was arrested and initially charged with abandoning/ endangering a child. Bond was denied.
On Tuesday, after police received preliminary autopsy results, the charge was upgraded to capital murder.
Police Chief Thomas Harris said the autopsy ruling was “homicide.”
“We were actually going to upgrade the charge anyway,” Police Chief Thomas Harris told The Reporter. “We got a detailed confession from the suspect.”
The Rockdale Volunteer Fire Department, an AMR ambulance crew and a Department of Public Safety state trooper responded, along with police, to a report of an “unresponsive child” at 5:45 p.m. Monday. Goodrich said CPR was administered.
“It was immediately obvious the child had sustained some significant injuries,” Goodrich said.
Capital murder, which carries a possible death penalty, is applicable only under certain circumstances, one of which is the murder of an individual under age 10.
It’s the second Rockdale capital murder case involving a child in five years. In November, 2014, Sherill Ann Small of Rockdale was convicted in connection with 2013 death of two-year-old Alexandria Hill. Small died in prison.
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