BRUNSWICK, Ga. – A Brunswick 3-month-old was found dead a week ago and police have arrested the baby's father on charges of murder and having sex with the baby's mother when she was only 15 years old.
After several days of investigating, the Glynn County Police Department arrested the boy's father, Willie Stroud and charged him with murder.
Willie Stroud, 22, was arrested Saturday morning, five days after Christian Powell was found dead on a couch in his apartment at the Westminster Club complex off Darien Highway. Glynn County police say the child had suffered extensive injures at the hands of his father.
People who know Stroud were shocked, saying he was not a violent person.
"I just don't see how you could do…why would you murder your own kid?" said Justin Tillett, who says he went to high school with Stroud. "That's one of my friends, you know what I mean? He's a nice guy man. He really is."
Tillett said he had heard that Stroud's infant son was having trouble sleeping, but nothing more than that.
Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering wouldn't say the cause of death was a beating or a shaking.
"Yes, there was severe injuries to the infant, but I won't get into the details," Doering said. "Suffice it was obvious and it was clear to the medical examiner and to the investigators that this was a clear case of homicide. This was no accident."
Channel 4 spoke with several people who say they know the 22-year-old murder suspect.
In addition to the murder charge, Stroud is charged with child molestation because he was 21 and the boy's mother was 15 when she became pregnant.