Dad blamed cat for baby’s fatal injuries, Minnesota cops say. He’s going to prison

A man will spend at least a decade in prison after causing his 2-month-old daughter’s fatal injuries, which he blamed on the family cat, Minnesota cops say.

Kristopher Henderson, who entered an Alford plea in December for second-degree murder, received a 15-year prison sentence Tuesday, April 4, in Blue Earth County court, records show.

An Alford plea allows Henderson to plead guilty to the offense but maintain his innocence.

He is required to serve two-thirds of the sentencing.

The conviction came more than a year after the 2-month-old girl was taken to a hospital in Mankato with various injuries, according to a probable cause statement. Police were notified Sept. 24, 2021, when doctors discovered the girl’s injuries included facial bruising, broken femurs and ribs, and brain hemorrhaging.

The girl remained in the hospital until she died Nov. 3, police said.

Before the girl was taken to the hospital, Henderson texted the child’s mother and said he caught their 19-pound cat laying on the child, court records show. The mother had been at work.

The girl’s eyes were discovered “bulged out” by the mother, and the baby was taken to the emergency room, police said.

When a detective indicated to Henderson that the girl’s injuries could not have been caused by the cat, he responded, “I know, I talked to (the doctors) too. I’m not that damn person, man,” according to the probable cause statement.

Henderson, 41, said he “did not take any aggression out on” the baby, but later said he “might have been a little rough” as he changed the girl’s diaper, police said.

As the questioning continued days later, Henderson eventually said he caused the girl’s injuries.

“Henderson made admissions that he cradled (the baby) face down in his arms and struck her back more forcefully than usually for what he estimated was five minutes while trying to calm her down,” according to the court records. “Detective Bennett asked Henderson if Henderson felt he had struck (the baby) hard enough to break her ribs, and Henderson said that he did.”

Henderson faced multiple charges, including second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and assault and malicious punishment. In his guilty plea of the murder charge, the remaining charges were dismissed, court records show.

Blue Earth County is about 95 miles southwest of Minneapolis.

This story was originally published April 6, 2023 at 9:27 AM with the headline "Dad blamed cat for baby’s fatal injuries, Minnesota cops say. He’s going to prison."