A man accused of inflicting fatal injuries upon his 5-week-old daughter at their Valencia Park-area home was ordered Tuesday to stand trial on murder and child abuse charges.
William Dudgeon, 33, is charged in the 2021 death of the child referred to in court only as Bella.
Dudgeon called 911 on the evening of June 21 to report the girl was unresponsive, according to testimony from a preliminary hearing held Tuesday.
The child was hospitalized with numerous severe injuries, including a brain bleed, rib fractures and bruising, Tuesday’s testimony revealed.
Dudgeon was initially arrested on suspicion of child abuse, but was re-booked for murder after the girl died on June 24.
Dudgeon told police he was alone with the girl at the time, as the child’s mother had left home about an hour before 911 was called, San Diego police Sgt. Aaron McNett testified. The girl’s mother said she didn’t see any injuries on the child when she left the home and showed McNett a photograph of the girl from the previous day that didn’t display any visible injuries, he testified.
Dudgeon denied harming the girl and said she’d fallen unresponsive after feeding her, but McNett said later in the interview, Dudgeon admitted to perhaps squeezing the girl too hard while playing with her. At another point, he said he had gotten into an argument with the girl’s mother, was upset and “wanted her to see Bella hurt,” McNett testified.
Much of defense attorney Melissa Tralla’s questioning during the preliminary hearing concerned investigators’ interviews with Dudgeon. Tralla suggested police overlooked an intellectual disability that may have led Dudgeon to be more susceptible to being influenced by the investigators’ questions.
While McNett said a Rady Children’s doctor told him the girl’s injuries would have become visible immediately after they were inflicted, Tralla said multiple police and fire personnel opined that the bruising looked older and that the girl’s autopsy did not include conclusions as to when the injuries occurred.
Tralla also argued that despite Dudgeon’s statement regarding an argument, neither he nor the girl’s mother otherwise reported any argument and their text message exchanges reflected nothing negative between them.
Dudgeon remains in custody without bail.
