Iowa man charged with murder in toddler's death
A Centerville man who was charged with child endangerment resulting in death is now facing first-degree murder charges after a toddler in his care suffered fatal injuries.
Roger Gillespie, 48, of Centerville, was arrested back in January when a 2-year-old he was babysitting was found unresponsive and later died. He was initially charged with child endangerment resulting in death, a Class B felony, but on Thursday, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation announced that first-degree murder charges were added upon the completion of the autopsy report.
According to the criminal complaint, on Jan. 19, Gillespie was babysitting 2-year-old Journey Marberry when he allegedly left her unattended while giving her a bath. Gillespie allegedly told investigators that he heard a loud noise, and when he returned to the bathroom, Marberry was unresponsive.
The criminal complaint says first responders were then dispatched to Gillespie's home in Centerville, where they found Marberry suffering from a skull fracture and multi-layered retinal hemorrhages. The child was first transported to MercyOne in Centerville before being transferred to the University of Iowa Hospital, where she died on Jan. 27.
On Wednesday, the Johnson County Medical Examiner's Office released the final autopsy findings, ruling that Marberry's manner and cause of death was homicide by blunt force trauma.
According to online court records, Gillespie is still charged with child endangerment and filed a speedy trial waiver on Thursday. He is being held at the Appanoose County Jail on a $1 million cash-only bond.
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