Gerard Dante Coger and Janaya Kimberly Hobson (Lake County Jail)
A mother and father in Indiana have been arrested for allegedly killing their 1-month-old daughter, violently beating and shaking the newborn and then not seeking medical attention for nearly a week as the victim slowly died in the home.
Gerard Dante Coger, 21, and Janaya Kimberly Hobson, 19, were taken into custody last week and charged with a spate of felonies, including two counts each of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, three counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, and depriving a dependent of necessary support in the slaying of Royal Coger, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Additionally, Coger is facing one count of murder and one count of aggravated battery in his son’s horrific death.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Chicago Tribune, the couple showed up at Methodist Hospital’s Northlake campus on Dec. 15 carrying young Royal who “appeared to have been suffering from abusive head trauma.” The couple had walked about a mile with the baby to arrive at the facility.
Unfortunately, the child succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead on Dec. 18.
A caseworker with the Indiana Department of Child Services then reportedly contacted the Gary, Indiana Police Department to report the child’s suspicious injuries.
The doctor who first spoke with Coger and Hobson on Dec. 15 and explained that the newborn was likely going to die because she’d been violently shaken, said the couple responded by staring back at her “like a deer in headlights,” per the Tribune. As the conversation continued, the doctor noted it was Coger who “did most of the talking” and described Hobson as appearing “flat.” She said “neither were angry” and both denied ever shaking Royal.
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In a follow-up interview with police detectives, Coger reportedly said that Royal on Dec. 4 fell out of a baby carrier and struck her head on concrete, resulting in a “grapefruit-sized” bump that he covered with a hat. Coger allegedly said he chose not to tell Hobson about the fall, opting instead to wait another 11 days until Royal had a scheduled doctor’s appointment. After the fall, Royal reportedly cried more and ate less
As authorities continued to press Coger as to how Royal suffered her fatal injuries, he allegedly confessed that on Dec. 12 he became so frustrated with his daughter’s crying that he grabbed the newborn and shook her violently while “asking Royal Coger why she was crying as he did so,” The Times of Northwest Indiana reported.
Hobson, however, reportedly denied knowing about Royal suffering any injuries after she bumped her head on the sink in late November.
When asked why they had walked to the hospital instead of calling 911, the parents provided authorities with different answers.
Per the Tribune, Coger said they decided to walk because they thought it would be the fastest way to get Royal to the hospital. However, Hobson reportedly told detectives that “both she and Gerard Coger decided not to call 911 because the Police and Fire Department would ask too many questions and Royal Coger ‘was dead anyways.””
Coger and Hobson are both being held in the Lake County Jail. Coger is being held without bond while Hobson’s bond was set at $100,000. They are scheduled to appear in court again on Jan. 2 before Judge Samuel L. Cappas.
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