BEAUMONT, Texas — A Beaumont man charged in the 2021 death of his girlfriend's baby had his bond reduced Wednesday.
Bryce Lawrence Ceaser, 24, was indicted on March 2, 2022, on charges of injury to a child, a first-degree felony.
Ceaser was being held at the Jefferson County Jail on a $250,000 bond but had his bond reduced to $100,000 by Judge Raquel West.
West granted the bond reduction with a list of restrictions. Ceaser must wear a GPS tracking device, is forbidden to be around any children, whether supervised or not, and must have no contact with the victim's mother.
On Friday, December 3, 2021, at 2:45 pm., Beaumont Police were dispatched to St. Elizabeth Hospital in reference to an 11-month-old infant that was brought in for choking, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The baby was pronounced dead later that day.
The investigation revealed the infant was transported from Settler's Cove Apartments in Beaumont for breathing difficulties.
The medical staff at St. Elizabeth said Ceaser was at the hospital with the infant, along with the biological mother, Ktirrah Stevens.
A CT scan performed on the 11-month-old showed bleeding in the brain. There was also a large bruise on the infant's right shoulder and left temple. The infant also showed signs of petechiae in their left eye.
According to Ceaser, the infant woke up in a lethargic state and had a seizure shortly after. Ceaser reported that he gave the infant some small crackers to eat.
A short while later, Ceaser said the baby became unresponsive and he shook her several times with no response. Then, he patted the child on the back numerous times and later called EMS.
Stevens was contacted and rushed to check on her baby. She said upon entering her apartment, she saw her child unresponsive.
Stevens says Ceaser appeared nervous and gave a different account of what happened.
At the time, Ceaser had outstanding warrants for traffic tickets in Beaumont, so he was arrested at the hospital and transported to the Beaumont Police Department, where he spoke with detectives.
Ceaser continued to repeat his initial account and advised that the baby was choking on a cheese cracker and the injuries could have only occurred when he attempted to clear their airway, according to the affidavit.
After speaking to detectives for an extended amount of time, Ceaser said that he did not want to appear as a monster and wanted to tell the truth.
Ceaser went on to confess that he became angry at the child over alleged misbehavior, so he picked the infant up and vigorously shook them to the point that the infant ultimately became unresponsive, according to the affidavit.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.