A City Heights couple pleaded guilty on Monday to murder charges during their arraignment after being accused of killing their 3-month-old daughter.
The parents are 21 and 22 years old and are being charged with murder after having custody of the baby for just six weeks.
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Patrol officers were responding to a medical emergency last week and found the baby girl in grave condition at a residence in the 4400 block of Maple Street in Colina Del Sol per the San Diego Police Department.
Paramedics took the child to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, SDPD Lt. Andra Brown said.
Detectives questioned the infant’s parents, Brandon Ivan Copeland, 21, and 22-year-old Elizabeth Reneedawn Ucman, and soon after them both on suspicion of murder.
Police have yet to release the child’s cause of death or disclose what might have led to the alleged infanticide. The family said the name of the infant’s name was Delilah.
“This baby went through living hell,” said the child’s great grandmother, Adrienne Arnett.
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Arnett said when the child was first born emergency custody was given to a great aunt because social services deemed the parent’s apartment dirty and unfit. A month and a half later, after the home was cleaned, the child was given back to the parents.
“Delilah is in heaven. I can’t help her but there are so many other babies out there. I can’t save my grandbaby but maybe we can save some others,” said Arnett.
“We have a whole family of people that would have taken care of this baby,” said Arnett. “We will not be making any further comments or providing additional information at this time,” Lt. Brown said Friday evening.
Before Delilah was born Arnett knew her granddaughter was unable to take care of a child.
“I knew my granddaughter was dangerous. I knew this and I told social services.”
Copeland and Ucman have been being held in county jail with out bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Monday afternoon. Anyone with info relating to this incident is requested to name the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
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