OGDEN, Utah (AP) — A 26-year-old Ogden man has pleaded guilty to killing his infant daughter as part of a plea-bargain agreement that will keep him off death row.
Michael Lee Hatton originally was charged with suspicion of first-degree murder in the October 2016 death of his 8-week-old daughter Avery.
The Desert News reported Wednesday he pleaded guilty to aggravated murder on Dec. 7.
Hatton faces anywhere from 15 years to life in prison at his sentencing Jan. 17.
Emergency crews responded to a call at an Ogden residence last October about an infant no longer breathing.
Hatton originally told police he had dropped her and she hit her head. A subsequent investigation determined he physically abused her.
Doctors found her brain was swelling consistent with a victim of violent shaking. X-rays determined she had suffered a fractured skull, rib and clavicle.
