Arthur Hapgood, 36, of Waterbury, Conn., is accused of stabbing his 1-year-old niece in Bristol on Monday, according to Fox CT.
He was taken into custody shortly after and charged with Mruder with Special Circumstances (victim under 16 years of age) in the death of of Zaniyah Calloway, who he was babysitting at the time of the stabbing, police said. He is also facing Reckless Endangerment and Risk of Injury to a Minor.
Zaniyah was stabbed in the stomach with a knife and taken to Bristol Hospital. She was then airlifted to Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford, but doctors were unable to save the girl.
An 11-year-old child was present in the home at the time of the stabbing, but was not injured, Fox CT reported.
According to the incident report, Hapgood admitted to the stabbing and told police he had taken illegal drugs, according to NBC Connecticut.
"I think there should be justice. I don't think he should get away with this. He was perfectly fine when I was there with him. Why kill a little innocent baby? She never did anything to him," Shakyia Danay Clay, the baby's mother, told NBC Connecticut.
He was naked on the front porch and injured when he was arrested, but authorities said it appeared his injuries were self-inflicted and possibly accidental. He was brought to Bristol Hospital for treatment and then taken to Bristol Police Department after his release.
"From the child, we heard lots of screaming and then a few adults or teenagers screaming 'get somebody on the ambulance, get somebody on the phone,'" Olivia Mattei, a neighbor, told NBC Connecticut. "They were just really worried about what was going to happen."
Hapgood appeared in court on Tuesday and applause broke out as a judge raised his bond from $1.5 million to $2.5 million.
Police have not released details on the sequence of events that led to the fatal stabbing of the baby.
