BROOKSVILLE, FL -- A Brooksville man accused of beating up his girlfriend's infant son was charged Saturday with murder after the boy passed away.
19-year-old David McBurnett Jr. was originally arrested Friday on child abuse charges.
His girlfriend Breanna Underwood told detectives that McBurnett had hit her son, 1-year-old Hunter Morris, on numerous occasions over a period of several months, when the child had been crying. The alleged assaults happened between March and September 10th of this year, according to his arrest report.
Underwood said she saw him hit her son's hands and feet with a remote control more than once, and also saw him use an open hand to hit Morris in the head and body. She also witnessed McBurnett grab the boy by his face and squeeze it, the report says.
Morris suffered numerous injuries, including a fractured rib, internal bleeding, and multiple contusions, detectives said.
McBurnett admitted to each assault, saying he did so to get the child to stop crying.
Morris died Saturday at All-Children's Hospital. McBurnett will remain in jail on no bond until his next court appearance on October 13th.
