A father in Florida was arrested for smothering his son to death so he could get back to playing video games, police said Friday.
Cody Wygant is accused of suffocating his 16-month-old son Daymeon in an attempt to quiet him because he was crying, the Associated Press reported. Police said the father was upset because he could not focus on the video games he was playing on an Xbox. Wygant, 24, was arrested and held without bail at the Citrus County Jail.
"It is inconceivable that a father could kill his infant son- it just baffles the mind," Sheriff Jeff Dawsy told the AP. "Our only sense of relief now comes from knowing that we did exactly what we needed to do to bring justice to him swiftly. Our prayers go out to those who knew and loved Daymeon."
Daymeon Wygant was pronounced dead on Thursday when emergency responders brought him to a hospital. The father was charged with third-degree murder and child neglect.
Police said the father covered his son's nose and mouth for about four minutes before placing him in a playpen and wrapping his body and head in bedcovers, the AP reported. Cody Wygnant did not check on his son until five hours later. During that time Cody played games on his Xbox and watched episodes of the TV show "Fringe."
Daymeon had turned blue and was unresponsive by the time Cody checked on him, police told the AP.
Cody told police the baby was placed in the playpen at around 7 a.m. Thursday. But Cody admitted to suffocating the child at around 1 a.m. that morning, the AP reported.
The child's mother, Cody's girlfriend, was not home at the time of the incident. The two have another child, a 3-month-old girl, who was taken by the Department of Children and Families.
Results from an autopsy performed on the son were not released to the media.
