A probable cause affidavit details that 10-month-old Eiley Vee Lira-Romero suffered a horrific beating after her stepfather admitted to shoving a bottle into her mouth because she would not stop crying and then hit her with a closed fist on the side of her head.
The infant was taken to Medical Center Hospital on Dec. 2 but died at a Lubbock hospital on Monday of what a trauma surgeon at the hospital said were injuries indicative of blunt force trauma.
The charges against Edward Lira, 28, have increased from injury to a child with intent causing serious bodily injury, a first-degree felony, to capital murder, a capital felony.
Lira was booked into the Ector County Law Enforcement Center on the capital murder charge on Dec. 15, jail records show. He has one bond totaling $1 million and was still in custody as of Thursday morning.
After the baby was taken to Medical Center Hospital on Dec. 2, Lira never arrived at MCH. He was found at his residence and transported to ECSO for an interview. Lira agreed to a formal interview and he was read his Miranda Rights, which he waived.
During the interview, and after Lira’s story had changed numerous times, deputies in the probable cause detailed that Lira was the only person in care and custody of the child since Nov. 28.
Lira told deputies he was highly intoxicated, stressed and angry at everything going on in his life, and to top it off the child kept crying and wouldn’t stop.
Lira stated he tried numerous times to give the child a bottle, even forcefully shoved it into her mouth several times but she wouldn’t stop crying, the affidavit stated.
Lira reportedly admits to at one point to be standing over the crying child while she laid on the couch and though he didn’t himself admit to the assault, he said he must have punched her on the side of the head with a closed fist, though he doesn’t recall how many times he struck the baby.
Once Lira realized the child became limp and unresponsive, he called for help, the affidavit stated.
Lira was booked into the Ector County Law Enforcement Center on the capital murder charge on Dec. 15, jail records show.
ECSO deputies were made aware of the injury to a child at 7:33 a.m. Dec. 2 when they responded to Medical Center Hospital, an ECSO probable cause affidavit detailed.
Deputies made contact with hospital staff who stated a 10-month-old girl arrived at the ER after being transported from her residence by Odessa Fire Rescue. The initial report showed the child had a fractured skull and brain bleeding.
OFR was advised by Lira that the child fell off the couch and became unresponsive with all of this taking place at a residence in the 11000 block of W. Kassner Drive, the affidavit stated.
A trauma surgeon at the hospital reported the injuries sustained by the child weren’t consistent with a fall from a couch and were more indicative of a blunt force trauma to the head.
The child was airlifted to Lubbock in critical condition, the affidavit stated. ECSO detailed in a Facebook post on Wednesday afternoon that the 10-month-old girl had died on Monday.
