A Florida man has been arrested for killing a 1-year-old whom his girlfriend was babysitting. The toddler died of severe injuries, including a broken femur. Deric Young, who was accused of killing the child, claimed that he had been just “playing” with her.
Deric Young was arrested on Monday in the case of the murder of a 1-year-old. He was charged with one count of murder and one count of cruelty towards a child. Young took the life of the toddler while under the influence of marijuana.
The Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) has arrested 25-year-old Deric Young following a death investigation that was later ruled a homicide involving a one-year-old child. Click here to read more: https://t.co/9QQsK7p65i pic.twitter.com/vuMnvECItx
— Tallahassee Police (@TallyPD) June 25, 2025
The horrific event unfolded on Monday, and the Tallahassee police department received a report of an unresponsive child. Upon arriving at the scene, the authorities found the child in a critical condition. The child was rushed to a nearby hospital and admitted with severe injuries.
Doctors failed to save the life of the toddler after much effort. The 1-year-old lost her life while she was left in Young’s care. Authorities quickly caught on and ” uncovered signs of foul play.”
An official release notes that the toddler’s autopsy revealed that she had sustained severe injuries. The child had received “multiple strikes to the head with a closed fist.” Those blows reportedly became the reason for her death. Based on these findings and additional evidence, TPD’s Violent Crimes Unit took over the case,” the release read.
Investigators later found out that Young’s girlfriend was entrusted with the task of babysitting the child originally. The woman then left the child with Young the night before the brutal incident.
TALLAHASSEE, FL — The community is reeling after 25-year-old Deric Young was arrested in connection with the death of a one-year-old child. The Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) confirmed the arrest on Tuesday https://t.co/g7jNEbXuSW pic.twitter.com/hf92LVEZyb
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The child suffered “forceful impacts” on both sides of her head and face, according to a probable cause affidavit. The injuries led to her brain suffering a hemorrhage and swelling, eventually causing her death.
The toddler’s suffering did not stop there. She also suffered an acute femur fracture, which doctors note “undoubtedly been extremely painful and severely impacted her ability to crawl or move.”
Young, who was arrested as the prime suspect, initially denied harming the child. When the police confronted him with the findings of the case, he admitted “he was sorry for what had occurred.” He then confessed to hitting the child in her face and head.
“The defendant would go on to describe how he had used both his right and left fists to strike [the victim] two to three times upon both the right and left sides of her head/face,” the affidavit reads.
Young shared how he had been suffering from a “lack of sleep” and was feeling stressed. “The defendant was asked if he had simply lost his temper during a stressful moment,” the authorities revealed. Young also went on to claim that he was only “playing” with the child.
Tallahassee Police arrest 25-year-old Deric Young in death of one-year-old child. Authorities say Young was the boyfriend of the woman hired to watch the child the night before the incident. The victim was left in his care, according to police.
The child allegedly suffered…
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“The defendant would advise that he had smoked an amount of cannabis minutes before and said something to the effect of ‘When I smoke, I want to play,'” the affidavit further read.
Deric Young is currently being held in the Leon County Jail. The Florida man will appear in court for the first time regarding this case on Thursday.
