HENDERSON, Nev. -- A Henderson man appeared in court Monday morning on charges he killed a little girl he was babysitting.
Cody Geddings made his initial appearance on a murder charge. The 24-year-old is accused of beating his girlfriend's 16-month-old daughter, Addison Weast, so severely that she died from her injuries on April 2nd.
Family members say the child was rushed to the hospital after the beating on March 31st. According to the police report, the girl's skull was shattered on her right side.
The child's mother, Jaime Higgons, told police that she left the child with Geddings while she attended a class. She told the hospital that the child fell out of a playpen, which is what she was told by Geddings. The hospital staff contacted police after noting the injuries were too severe for a fall.
Police say Geddings told them two different stories when he was interviewed. He originally said that Weast had fallen out of her playpen and had a seizure. Later, he told police he was outside in the backyard with the baby when a full sized acetylene gas cylinder on a wobbly stool accidentally fell on the child. Police didn't believe him, saying the gas cylinder was found on a dolly with two flat tires.
"I've seen him around this little girl and he was excited to be acting as a father since he wasn't acting as a father for his own child right now. He loved her. He took her everywhere. He was happy to be around her," said a family member of Geddings' current wife, Jessica Walos.
The marriage between Walos and Geddings is currently in the divorce process.
The family member says Walos' son was also hurt at the hands of Geddings last year when the child was only 5-weeks-old. At the time, Geddings told family he had accidentally dropped the newborn, saying the baby was slippery right after a bath. The baby survived and Geddings was scheduled to be sentenced in May on a child abuse and neglect charge.
"He would punch holes in the wall. Anything that got in his way, he would destroy it. He would punch windows out. At one time, I know he punched who is soon to be his ex-wife," said the family member.
During Weast's hospital stay, it was determined that there was no blood flow to her brain. She was pronounced dead on April 2nd.
Geddings has a criminal history that includes grand larceny and burglary.
Cody Geddings
Addison Weast
