Mt. Lebanon man pleads guilty to killing infant daughter
A Mt. Lebanon man pleaded guilty to a general count of criminal homicide Monday in the beating death of his 4-month-old daughter.
Joseph Gazzam, 31, will have a degree-of-guilt hearing before Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Randal B. Todd on June 17. The options could be first- or third-degree murder, as well as voluntary or involuntary manslaughter.
Mr. Gazzam also pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of children.
According to Allegheny County police, Mr. Gazzam called 911 just before 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 12, 2017, for an unresponsive infant.
Victoria Gazzam died a short time later at St. Clair Hospital.
An autopsy showed she had fractures to her left arm and three ribs, a brain bleed, lacerations to a heart vessel and left kidney, as well as contusions to her liver, back and head. Victoria also had hemorrhaging behind her eyes.
During his initial interview with police, Mr. Gazzam said he and his daughter had been napping in his bed, and when he woke up, he found her unresponsive on the floor.
He told them she got hurt falling out of bed.
However, detectives found that the distance from the mattress to the carpeted floor was 2 feet 2 inches, a criminal complaint said, The forensic pathologist who conducted Victoria's autopsy said her injuries could not have been caused by such a fall.
During another interview with Mr. Gazzam the following day, the criminal complaint continued, he told detectives that Victoria woke up from a nap about 11:30 a.m. and was "fussy" and would not stop crying.
Mr. Gazzam recounted that he got angry and began punching the infant with a closed fist, including twice in her head, stomach and back.