COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A Cobb County man is facing charges after police say he beat his baby so severely she had to be taken to the hospital.
Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell has learned the father is claiming he isn’t responsible for the beating. He says evil spirits possessed his daughter.
Police were called to Juan Hernandez’s home for an unresponsive baby in April. They say she suffered respiratory failures, multiple skull fractures and other injuries.
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“Kind of crazy out of the blue that something like this happened just two houses away,” neighbor Louis Iturbid said.
Hernandez told police that his baby was possessed and that he may have been as well. He believed spirits or a bad person were conducting paranormal activity to make his family suffer.
He was arrested and charged with aggravated battery and child cruelty. He has since been released on bond.
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Neighbors told Newell they are concerned about him being part of their community.
“That’s quite a shock. I honestly don’t think he should be released,” Iturbid said.
“He needs to be institutionalized, that’s how I feel,” another neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said.
While he is out on bond, Hernandez has been ordered to stay away from children under the age of 16.
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Newell called Hernandez’s attorney to discuss the allegations but was told he is out of town.
It is unclear if Hernandez has any other children. Neighbors say they have seen other children playing outside the home and that they appeared to be happy.
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