Man charged with murder after ‘willfully and deliberately’ torturing baby girl, deputies say

SALMON — A Lemhi County father is charged with first-degree murder for the death of his 2-month-old daughter.

Roger Aaron Denig, 21, is being held in the Lemhi County Jail on $500,000 bail after appearing before Magistrate Judge Andrew Woolf on Monday afternoon.

The investigation began when the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office received a call Wednesday around 9:40 p.m. from the mother of Ammarie Denig, the infant, saying her baby was not breathing. Mother and daughter were headed to the hospital with the child’s father, according to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by EastIdahoNews.com.

“(Roger) Denig had started CPR. (The mother) kept saying she’s not breathing, then barely breathing, to she isn’t moving at all,” the probable cause says.

An ambulance met the family, and EMTs continued CPR. They noticed “yellow bruises on the forehead from eyebrow to eyebrow, and some bruises to the infant’s upper body” that were older injuries, according to court documents.

Denig told EMTs Ammarie had laryngomalacia, a congenital softening of larynx tissues above the vocal cords that caused her to choke.

Once the ambulance arrived at Steele Memorial Hospital, doctors got the baby’s heartbeat back, and she was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, where a CT scan showed “multiple brain injuries.” Because of the severity of the injuries, the baby was airlifted to Primary Children’s Hospital.

A pediatrician at the hospital who specializes in child abuse and neglect told investigators the infant sustained traumatic brain injuries, and there was no longer any brain activity.

“Additional signs show tearing of the brain, which is consistent with a sudden, external, physical assault,” the probable cause says. “There is retinal hemorrhage in both eyes, which is present with traumatic head injuries, (and) the CT scan showed several broken ribs in various stages of healing that could be between 10 to 14 days old, (and) signs of old bruises on the child’s chest.”

Ammarie was on life support, and the doctor said her injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome. The baby died on Friday at 10:36 p.m.

Investigators spoke with the child’s mother and Denig. The mother said on Wednesday, she and Denig went to the dump twice to drop off some garbage. They left the baby with Ammarie’s grandmother, and when they returned home, the mom went to lie down with the baby.

The infant became fussy but settled down and fell asleep but awoke a short time later crying, according to Ammarie’s mother.

“Denig came into the room and got Ammarie from the bed and took her to the other room where they have a rocking chair to rock her because she likes that,” the baby’s mother told detectives.

The mother fell back asleep but was awoken by Denig, who said Ammarie was not breathing and the baby was blue. Denig began CPR while the baby’s mother went to get her mom and called 911.

Ammarie’s mother said “when the medical staff advised Ammarie had traumatic brain injury, (the mom) stated she thought it may have been from driving on the rough road to get to the ambulance, or the lack of oxygen to the brain had caused this,” the probable cause document says. “(She) stated she did not have physical control of Ammarie from the time Denig took her from the bed and went to the other room.”

During his conversation with deputies, Denig was “shaking and even commented on the fact, saying ‘he must be nervous,'” according to court documents.

He told investigators after he picked up the baby from her mom’s side and went into the other room, she was fussy but calmed down and fell asleep. An hour or two later, he said she began to cough, and “fluid came out of her mouth.”

“Denig stated he tried clearing her mouth with his finger, and he stated Ammarie choked and then stopped breathing,” the probable cause says. That’s when he went to get the child’s mom, began CPR and 911 was called.

Denig also commented that the brain injuries were due to the rough road the family traveled on to meet the ambulance. When asked about the baby’s broken ribs in various states of healing, “Denig stated maybe they patted her too hard because one time while he was patting her back, he heard crackling noises.”

The deputy interviewing Denig said someone battered the child, and the injuries did not come from the rough road.

“This detective believes the infant’s injuries were not a medical issue and the child was willfully and deliberately tortured,” the detective wrote.

Denig stated, ‘You think I caused this?’ I advised, ‘Yes.’ I asked if he shook her due to his frustration or anger with Ammarie due to her fussiness and/or crying,” the probable cause says. “Denig stated he didn’t think so. He stated he was bouncing her … and maybe he shook her harder than he thought.”

Deputies told Denig he was the only person in possession of the child at the time she stopped breathing and he responded that he “would take accountability for his actions.” When asked if he wanted to explain anything more, Denig said he “can’t remember it all but doesn’t think he blacked out or anything.”

The results of the autopsy showed there were more ribs in various stages of healing than originally thought. Ammarie internal organs appeared normal and after examining the child’s head, skull and brain tissue, the medical examiner determined she died from a traumatic head injury.

Denig was arrested Saturday in Lemhi County after he returned from Primary Children’s Hospital. Although he has been charged with first-degree murder, he is presumed innocent in the eyes of the law. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on July 7.