COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- A former Fort Carson soldier has acknowledged killing his girlfriend's infant daughter.
The Colorado Springs Gazette reports 28-year-old Branden Harms pleaded guilty Tuesday to child abuse resulting in the death of 4-month-old Ava Bermudez, who he was baby-sitting while her mother was away from her home in Fountain on April 18.
Harms told the court he lost control when he couldn't keep the girl calm and he began to excessively spank her. He also choked her and threw her into her crib so hard that she split its wooden bottom and fell through to the floor.
Harms is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who served as a scout in a Fort Carson unit at the time of the child's death. A post spokeswoman could not be reached for an update on his duty status.
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