A father with priors has been charged with murder for burning down his home with his baby son inside.
The incident took place in the city of Shawnee in Johnson County in the US state of Kansas on the morning of 13th February.
Nicholas Adam Ecker, 28, is accused of intentionally setting his home ablaze and killing his baby son, who was inside at the time, and has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated arson with risk of bodily harm.
He had also recently violated a restraining order against his ex-partner and faces separate charges of aggravated domestic assault, felony stalking, and illegal possession of a firearm, according to local reports.
Over the years, local court records show 15 cases against the suspect, including domestic violence, juvenile offences, and the ongoing cases.
Firefighters arrived at the suspect’s house at around 1am and found the property completely engulfed in flames.
At one point, Ecker reportedly tried to run back into the home but was stopped by first responders.
Firefighters battled the blaze and entered the property, finding the baby boy inside. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ecker is being held at Johnson County Jail on a bond of USD 1 million (GBP 737,000) for the arson and murder charges, and USD 58,500 (GBP 431,000) for the other ongoing offences.
Shawnee Fire Department spokesperson Corey Sands said: “Shawnee is a tight-knit community. Our hearts go out to everyone.”
The victim’s aunt Jackie Phelps has set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to help the family thought this difficult time (www.gofundme.com/f/2fkh79-please-help-our-family).
The investigation is ongoing.
