Fort Knox soldier charged with murder in daughter's death

FORT KNOX, KENTUCKY - Army officials on Friday charged a private who is part of a Fort Knox tank training team in the killing of his 3-week-old daughter. <br> <br> Pfc. Jerry J. Brown, 22, faces a charge of premeditated murder of his daughter, Jemishia Natrell Brown, who died early Sunday at Kosair Children&#39;s Hospital in Louisville. A coroner&#39;s report said the child died from severe blunt-force trauma to her head and body. <br> <br> Brown, of Fitzgerald, Ga., is being kept under watch at a barrack at Fort Knox, said Public Affairs Officer John Rickey. Army officials determined that Brown isn&#39;t a flight risk, so he isn&#39;t being held in a detention center, Rickey said. Brown doesn&#39;t have access to his family or his home on the post, Rickey said. <br> <br> Brown could be sentenced to life in prison if he is convicted of the premeditated murder charge, which is part of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the justice system for soldiers. <br> <br> ``As we see the evidence right now, it&#39;s unlikely that this case will be referred as a capital case, so the death penalty is probably not an issue here,&#39;&#39; said Lt. Col. Joel Wilson, a deputy staff judge advocate and one of the post&#39;s senior attorneys. <br> <br> Dr. Richard Greathouse, Jefferson County coroner, said Friday a murder charge was ``quite appropriate based on the autopsy findings in this kid.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Greathouse said Brown told investigators that he was holding the child and trying to get a drink out of the refrigerator when he accidentally dropped the baby. <br> <br> ``That&#39;s totally incompatible with the extent of the injuries that we found,&#39;&#39; Greathouse said. ``This child was beaten severely.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> An autopsy found multiple skull fractures, broken ribs, internal bleeding and several fractured bones, according to Greathouse. <br> <br> Wilson wouldn&#39;t say on Friday what led to the premeditated murder charge. <br> <br> ``Right now I&#39;m just going to say that the evidence to us at this time indicates that this was a premeditated murder.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Brown, a member of the Fox Troop, 1/16 Cavalry Regiment, is part of a tank training team permanently assigned to Fort Knox, Rickey said. Brown does no training himself, but helps operate tanks during training sessions. He has been stationed at Fort Knox as an armor crewman since January 2001, and he has been a soldier since 1998. <br> <br> Authorities at Fort Knox were notified of an incident at Brown&#39;s home after a family member called 911 between 1 and 2 a.m. EDT Sunday, Rickey said. The child was taken to Ireland Army Community Hospital and then to Kosair by air. She was pronounced dead at 6:15 a.m. <br> <br> Wilson said the army must next conduct an inquiry, similar to a probable cause hearing, to determine whether prosecutors can proceed with the charge. <br> <br> Rickey said this is the first murder charge against a Fort Knox soldier from an on-post death that he has seen in his 12 years there. <br> <br> In 1998, the Army dropped charges against a Fort Knox soldier whose baby daughter died after he laid her on her stomach for a nap. <br> <br> Pfc. Elliott Peterson was initially charged with negligent homicide and lying to investigators after his 8-week-old daughter, Jacori, suffocated.