Father Accused Of Shaking Infant Daughter In 2005 Now Faces Homicide Charge After Teen Dies
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PITTSBURGH (AP/KDKA) -- A father convicted of assaulting his infant daughter years ago is now charged with criminal homicide following the teenager's death.
Ariden Jackson, 37, faces charges after his daughter, Janiya, died nearly 14 years after he admitted to police that he shook her as a baby in an apartment in McKees Rocks because she would not stop crying.
At the time of the crime in 2005, he first told police he accidentally dropped her. He later told detectives he had shaken her three times when she wouldn't stop crying.
Court documents indicate Jackson pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and child and reckless endangerment. He went to jail and served 10 years for that crime.
Watch more on this story from KDKA's Meghan Schiller --
In February, the now 13-year-old girl died as a result of those injuries, according to the medical examiner.
Police said the girl had been living with a family friend for the past several years in Beaver Falls. She has dealt with severe brain damage, developmental delays and a seizure disorder as a result of her injuries as a baby.
On Feb. 1, police said the caretaker's girlfriend found the girl unresponsive in their home. She was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.
The Beaver County Medical Examiner's report said she died as a result of "complications of a seizure disorder resulting from remote abusive head trauma." The death was ruled homicide.
Allegheny County Detectives are now searching for Jackson. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Jackson currently lives at an apartment in Edgewood.
Neighbors told KDKA's Meghan Schiller they last saw Jackson picking up trash in front of his apartment Monday. They do not believe Jackson has a car.
Anyone who sees Jackson is asked to call 911. Anyone who has information on Jackson and his whereabouts is asked to call the Allegheny County Police tip line at 1-833-255-8477.
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