LARGO, Fla. - A 21-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder after police say he slammed his 7-month-old son to the floor for refusing to take his formula.
Police say Gregory Ellguth - who is 6-foot-7 and 300 pounds - has been in jail since Tuesday when police say he hurled his infant son, Tylor James Ellguth, to the floor, causing severe head injuries. The charge was upgraded to first-degree murder after the child died Saturday.
"It was like he spiked the child," said Largo police Det. Joseph Coyle. "It was no accident. (The father) fully admits he lost control, lost his temper and threw the child down forcefully."
The child's mother, Cheyenne Keck, had gone outside to smoke a cigarette, leaving the father to feed the child at about 1 a.m. Tuesday, police said. She came back inside when she heard the child scream.
Keck stayed at her son's bedside until doctors removed him from life support Friday afternoon. His brain injuries were too severe, and he died Saturday morning.
Ellguth, who also is charged with aggravated child abuse, was in jail Monday with no bond. He is being represented by the Public Defender's Office, which didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.
