Man says he killed baby to play video games, ‘AK police say

A man has admitted to killing his girlfriend’s baby while trying to get her to take a nap so “he could play video games”, Alaska police have said.

Zackry Johnson, 31, the baby’s mother’s boyfriend, was caring for the 1-year-old while his mother was at work, according to a Nov. 5 Facebook post from the Fairbanks Police Department. He was living with the mother and her children, police said.

When the baby’s mother arrived home in the evening, Johnson told her the baby was sleeping, police said. However, when she went to see the baby the next day, she found the baby dead.

The mother called 911 to say her child had died, police said. When officials arrived, they said they discovered the baby had “multiple injuries to the body consistent with an assault.”

After speaking with the baby’s mother, Johnson was taken to the police department for questioning, police said.

Johnson initially told police the baby’s injuries resulted from the baby “playing fight ‘with his 6-year-old sister,’ police said. After learning the injuries were not consistent with “two young siblings abused,” Johnson gave different accounts of how the baby was hurt.

Johnson eventually admitted he caused multiple injuries and used too much force on the 1-year-old while trying to get her to take a nap “so he could play video games”, police said.

“He demonstrated several of the actions he used on the child and further acknowledged that his actions likely led to the girl’s death,” police said.

Johnson was arrested and jailed for murder, according to police.