Local residents report that a former Lone Pine man, Roman Brand, 23, was arrested in the death of his girlfriend’s 6-month-old baby.
According to KBAK-TV in Bakersfield, Brand admitted hitting the baby on her head because she would not stop crying. In a jailhouse interview, Brand admitted hitting the baby, Ayonna Thompson, who he said stopped breathing.
Brand and his girlfriend live in Ridgecrest and were visiting his mother in Bakersfield at the time of the incident. News reports said that the infant was taken to Mercy Southwest Hospital where she died soon after. Reports said that an autopsy determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma and her death was ruled as a homicide.
Brand was arrested and was being held on $1 million bail. In the jailhouse interview posted on the KBAK-TV website, Brand said that he had not had a good night’s sleep and was trying to get some rest. He said the baby was fidgety and kept crying, so, out of frustration, he said he started to hit the baby on her head.
Local residents said that Brand grew up in Lone Pine and attended school there. Reports indicated that Brand and his family moved to Ridgecrest about 6 years ago.
