A Sacramento father is speaking out after his arrest in connection with the death of his 4-month-old daughter, telling ABC10 he had nothing to do with her death.
Victor Weaver, 22, was arrested by Sacramento police on Tuesday after a lengthy investigation into the death of his daughter, Zillah.
Weaver spoke from the Sacramento County Main Jail one day after his arrest, saying he wanted people to hear his story.
“I have nothing to hide, absolutely not. I want everyone to know my story. I do,” Weaver said.
Police said the investigation began last August after officers responded to reports of a 4-month-old baby who had been brought to a fire station from a residence in the 1700 block of West El Camino Avenue.
Zillah was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead despite life-saving measures, according to Sacramento police spokesperson Allison Smith.
Weaver said Zillah had been in his legal custody for about a month and that he was caring for her at his sister’s home, where he also lived. He said he woke up with his daughter in a bassinet beside his bed and found her unresponsive when he tried to wake her.
“At that time, my sister was the one that ran her over to the fire department because, at the time of me realizing something was wrong. I’m still trying to process everything in the moment. She acts so fast, right? After what I said, she’s already out the door telling me to get on the phone with the police. So I do that,” Weaver said.
Police said their investigation included interviewing witnesses, canvassing the area and collecting evidence.
After an interview by the Sacramento County coroner’s office, the case was determined to be a homicide, Smith said. Homicide detectives then secured an arrest warrant for Weaver.
The Sacramento County coroner’s office said Zillah’s cause of death was blunt force injuries of the head.
Weaver denied that he could have hurt his daughter and became emotional while describing his relationship with her.
“Like, everything I did for her was thoughtful. I put that on everything. I put that on my heart. I put that on my life. Everything I did for her was thoughtful. She was my first daughter. I wanted to experience a lot with her. I did,” Weaver said. “Just for it to be taken away from me so quickly. I feel like I’ve been stripped.”
Jail records show Weaver is not eligible for bail. Court records show he is due in court the following day.
Police are asking anyone with information about the case to contact the department.
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