Marion Man Charged In Death Of His Daughter
AP Graphic
A Marion, Va., man was charged with murder on Friday, which police said involved the death of his 11-month-old daughter.
Travis Ray Hester, 26, was charged with first-degree murder on Friday after his infant daughter died on July 27, the day after suffering head injuries from an incident the previous day, said Marion Police Investigator Andrew Moss.
“It was an extremely tragic incident all the way around. I don’t know what to tell you,” Moss said. “All I can say is that it was an incident in which the father was in care of the child and obviously, um, he made a bad decision.”
He declined Saturday to comment further on the circumstances surrounding the child’s death, saying the incident remains under investigation.
However, Moss said the child, Belle LeAnn Hester, was brought to the Smyth County Community Hospital emergency room on July 26, then airlifted to Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where she died the next day.
Travis Hester was caring for the child at his father’s house where he lived when the incident occurred, Moss said, confirming that the child’s mother was at work and not present at the time of the girl’s death.
Hester is being held without bond at the regional jail in Abingdon, Va.
“More or less, the charge of first-degree murder was placed because of the severity of the incident, ... and that is the proper charge in this incident,” Moss said.
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Reader Reactions
I hear that the mother of the baby was at SWVR jail on Sundy to see the EVIL thing that murdered her precious child. I don’t see how she could even stand to look at this murderer. May be she just has a bigger heart and more forgiveness than I would.
I am hearing from close family there is much more to this story
the baby was killed for crying but the sickest thing is;what the little baby was crying about…..
I have heard that this happened because the little baby was crying for her mother. It is so sad that a person especially someone called a “father” could commit such an unthinkable crime. Yes his day will come and I hope that he gets what is due him.
THIS IS SO SAD A FATHER KILLING HIS BABY. I FEEL SORRY FOR THE LITTLE BABY AND FAMILY. AS FOR THE FATHER THE JUDGE WILL TAKE CARE OF HIM.
i am a father of two perty little grils i could never
hurt one them a fathers job is to protect and love
not beat there head in to the ground.
what was her last moments of life her father who promised
to love and protect her? then just smuged out her life
wel she is heavn now where no harm can come to her now
p.s. i hope that some one does the same to him and
no one hears his screams
A very appropriate picture also. the hands that should have loved and nurtured maimed and killed
there is so much more to the story. and it is so horendous it is so very sad that anyone could ever be so heartless so evil to hurt a little innocent child especially their own. We can only pray for his soul and hope that in some way he will have some kind of remorse.I told people years ago he needed help.but I would never in my life have imagined he could do something like this.
Little Belle feels no pain now in the arms of God.and WE can only pray that this has opened the eyes of many .This so saddens me and makes me sick that these things are all around us and we cannot see until it is to late.
I just can’t understand how anyone could kill a child especially a little baby. What could it have done that called for such terrible treatment? I hope that someday he will ask for forgiveness and can live with what he has done. Now there is a special little angel named Belle in heaven.
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