A Georgia man has been charged with murder after his 8-month-old daughter died in a hot car while he was arrested and taken to jail in an unrelated case, police said. The 20-year-old father never told the arresting officers that his baby was alone in a parked car, authorities said Wednesday.
Davied Japez McCorry faces a second-degree murder count in the death of Nova Grace Whatley-Trejo. The father had parked his car at Snellville City Hall Tuesday and went to the Snellville Police Department to pick up a handgun that police had previously confiscated, officials said.
Det. Jeff Manley said at a Wednesday press conference that officers do not release firearms without conducting a background check on the owner. The check revealed that Whatley had outstanding warrants for violating probation, Manley said.
Officers arrested him and took him to jail, police said. Whatley never said a word about his child, Manley said.
Body cameras captured Whatley’s movements “from the moment he walked into the Snellville Police Department to the moment he was transported and released to deputies for processing at the Gwinnett County Detention Center,” the detective said.
“He made no statements as to the fact that his daughter was left in the car two buildings away from the Snellville Police Department,” Manley said.
Several hours later, Whatley told his mother that Nova was in his car, police said. The grandmother went to get the baby and took her to a hospital, but the child was already dead, authorities said.
“I’m absolutely astounded that somebody would leave an 8-month-old in a car, park away from our building and walk up here, knowing that child was in the car and leave them there,” Manley said.
Whatley had been released Tuesday night on the probation violation case after posting bail, authorities said. He was re-arrested and charged with murder on Wednesday, after officers learned of the baby’s death, police said.
He is being held without bail on that count at the Gwinnett County Jail, according to online records.
