A Roswell man remains in the Gwinnett County Detention Center, charged with murder in connection with the death of his 3-month-old daughter, after a Wednesday afternoon hearing.
Charles Hamilton, 44, sat sullenly in front of Judge Angela Duncan on Oct. 10 as she told him there was probable cause to bond over charges of murder, aggravated battery and cruelty to children.
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His infant daughter, Adriana Hamilton, died Sept. 13. Two days earlier, Charles Hamilton hopped on a flight to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, as Adriana Hamilton laid at Scottish Rite Hospital with severe brain trauma and broken ribs in several phases of healing, Gwinnett County Det. Dana Laney said in the hearing.
After Adriana Hamilton died, an autopsy revealed brain swelling so severe that it separated the sutures that were holding together the plates of her unfused skull, Laney said. That kind of swelling would occur immediately after experiencing severe head trauma.
Charles Hamilton was the last person left alone with the infant. On Sept. 9, a day after Adrianna Hamilton turned three months old, Charles Hamilton went to the apartment where Adriana Hamilton lived with her mother and sister. Charles Hamilton brought some baby items, including clothes and a bassinet, and was at the apartment to watch Adriana Hamilton while her mother and sister went to the laundromat.
Adriana Hamilton was fussy when her mother left after noon on Sept. 9, Laney said. Charles Hamilton told police that he tried feeding, rocking, bathing and swaddling the baby before setting her down in a bassinet and going to the bathroom. In the bathroom, Charles Hamilton said he heard the child making choking noises and rushed to her, getting a neighbor to call 911 while he attempted to perform CPR.
Adriana Hamilton was transported to Scottish Rite Hospital. Two days later, Charles Hamilton told the baby’s mother that he was going to the ATM to get money for a plane ticket for the baby’s grandmother to visit, Laney said. Instead, he bought his own plane ticket to the Dominican Republic, with a return to Atlanta scheduled for Sept. 22, 11 days later. His phone was turned off and nobody could reach him after he left the hospital, Laney said.
Adriana Hamilton died two days later. After her autopsy, police obtained a warrant for Charles Hamilton’s arrest because the brain swelling would have occurred immediately after Adriana Hamilton experienced head trauma, and Charles Hamilton was the last person alone with her, Laney said.
The Gwinnett County Police Department conducted a days-long search for Charles Hamilton before finding his car at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. With help from the FBI and Atlanta Police Department, Charles Hamilton was arrested upon his return to the United States on Sept. 23. His original return flight was delayed due to Hurricane Jose.
Charles Hamilton’s attorney, David S. West, cast doubt on the charges, saying the case “depends solely on Mr. Hamilton being the last one alone with his biological child.” Judge Angela Duncan said that timing, paired with the autopsy results, showed probable cause to bond over the charges. The issue of bond was not addressed at the hearing, but Hamilton was not given a bond when he was arrested.
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