An 8-month-old baby was killed by his father, who ran him over after a dispute involving the child’s mother. The altercation erupted when the parents and the infant, Pablo Kye Golden, were in a vehicle driving near the intersection of McDuff and Lennox avenues in Jacksonville, Florida.
According to investigators, the child’s father, 20-year-old Justin Golden, pulled the vehicle to a stop during the dispute. He then opened the door, placed Pablo on the ground, and drove away, running over the infant as he left.
According to the police, the child’s mother said that the argument stemmed from baby wipes and money. The arrest report said that she told Golden she wanted to leave the vehicle, and Golden did not want to be “responsible” for Pablo.
The mother told investigators she exited the vehicle and left Pablo inside while she walked off to de-escalate the fight. Shortly after, she was alerted by the screams of the baby, and when she turned back, she saw that the child was abandoned on the road while Golden’s car was nowhere to be seen.
When officials arrived at the scene, they quickly took Pablo to Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital. However, the baby succumbed to his injuries. A driver who witnessed the incident followed Golden’s car and called 911. The witness gave officers Golden’s location, leading to his vehicle being pulled over near Stockton Street during traffic and his arrest.
Golden initially faced charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and vehicular homicide. The incident happened on the morning of January 25, and he pleaded not guilty in February, but this week in Duval County court, he changed his plea. State prosecutors dismissed the vehicular homicide charge as part of a deal, and Golden admitted guilt to aggravated manslaughter, resulting in a sentencing being scheduled for November 13. Golden could receive a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
Barbershop owner Markin Barnes recalled seeing police swarm the area outside his shop that day. Barnes said he was inside the shop when he heard a parent screaming and came out to see what happened. Being a father himself, Barnes called the incident heartbreaking. He described it as a double loss since the baby was killed and the father will be imprisoned.