‘Frustrated’ babysitter charged, accused of murder of 4-month-old girl

MIDVALE — A 4-month-old girl died in the hospital after police say her head was intentionally smashed into the corner of a metal door by a babysitter frustrated with her crying.

On Friday, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s office said that Zachary Walton, 28, was charged with first-degree felony attempted murder and two counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse.

The incident happened on the night of Aug. 25 at the Road Home shelter in Midvale, 529 W. 7300 South, where the girl lived with her mother. That night, the mother was working a DoorDash shift while Walton, a family friend, babysat. Police said Walton began watching the girl at 11 a.m.

“Zachary stated around 6 p.m. that night he had become very frustrated. Zachary said his frustration was probably an 8 on a 10 scale,” Unified police wrote in the babysitter’s booking affidavit. “Zachary stated the victim would not stop crying and he was already frustrated.”

Walton told police that he decided to take the girl to the roof of the building to try and relieve stress. But while he was in the elevator, he said “he thought to himself, ‘How do I get her to shut up?’ Zachary stated he saw the corner of the elevator and while cradling her in his left arm he smashed her head into the metal corner of the elevator where the elevator curves to the sliding doors,” according to the affidavit. “Zachary stated this only made the victim start to cry harder.”

Police said he then repeated the action a second time using “significant force.” At that point, the infant stopped crying and Walton thought to himself, “What (have) I done?” the arrest report says.

By the time they reached the roof, the girl’s heart had stopped and she was no longer breathing. Surveillance video later reviewed by police showed Walton “carrying the 4-month-old limp victim around the roof for approximately 17 minutes while trying to blow into her face,” the affidavit states. “After an extreme amount of time, Zachary finally called the child’s mother and stated the child was not breathing.”

At 7:51 p.m., 911 was called. According to Unified police, the girl suffered two skull fractures and a “significant” brain bleed.

“There is an extremely high chance that the 4-month-old victim will die,” the affidavit stated. “The victim has not improved and her brain activity is very flattened. Safe and Healthy Family doctors stated they are considering brain death testing within the next day or two.”

According to the district attorney’s office, the victim had skull fractures, intracranial hemorrhage, and both acute and healing rib fractures. The office said the baby’s rib fractures were about two to three weeks old, indicating she was maltreated before the fatal incident.

“When the defendant was asked about the broken ribs, he said he had squeezed the baby hard because he was excited to see her and forced air out of her lungs, but he didn’t hear a crack. A babysitting log at the shelter showed that Walton had been taking care of S.S. and her siblings on and off for around three weeks,” the office stated in a press release.

The victim died Friday morning in the hospital, according to the district attorney’s office.

Contributing: Michael Houck, KSL TV

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Child abuse resources:

• Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).

Help with Children

Those who feel stressed out with a child, who need a break or who feel like they need counseling or training can reach out to one of the following agencies:

• The Family Support Center has 15 locations throughout the state and offers a free crisis nursery for parents who have to keep appointments or who are stressed out. They also offer counseling and family mentoring. Call 801-955-9110 or visit familysupportcenter.org/contact.php for more information.
• Prevent Child Abuse Utah provides home visiting in Weber, Davis, and Box Elder counties. Parent Educators provide support, education, and activities for families with young children. Their statewide education team offers diverse trainings on protective factors, digital safety, bullying, and child sex trafficking. They are available for in-person or virtual trainings and offer free online courses for the community at pcautah.org.
• The Office of Home Visiting works with local agencies to provide home visits to pregnant women and young families who would like to know more about being parents. Home visitors are trained and can provide information about breastfeeding, developmental milestones, toilet training, nutrition, mental health, home safety, child development, and much more. Find out more at homevisiting.utah.gov.
• The Safe Haven law allows birth parents in Utah to safely and anonymously give up custody of their newborn child at any hospital in the state, with no legal consequences and no questions asked. The child’s mother can drop off the child, or the mother can ask someone else to do it for her. The newborns should be dropped off at hospitals that are open 24 hours a day. Newborns given up in this manner will be cared for by the hospital staff, and the Utah Division of Child and Family Services will find a home for the child. For more information, visit utahsafehaven.org or call the 24-hour hotline at 866-458-0058.