FORT HOOD, TX (3TV/CBS 5) -- A man wanted for murder and child abuse in Tempe has been arrested at a U.S. Army base in Fort Hood, Texas.
Khairee Patton was arrested on Tuesday for a felony warrant for murder and child abuse charges stemming from a 2019 incident under investigation by the Tempe Police Department.
Tempe police say on January 9, 2019, officers were called to Cardon's Children's Hospital regarding a 13-month-old child that was transported from a Phoenix Urgent Care facility in critical condition. Hospital staff told officers the man who brought the unresponsive child to the urgent care claimed he was the child's "stepfather." Patton told staff he had been home with the child, and that the child hit their head on a stereo. Detectives learned Patton was a recent boyfriend of the child's mother.
The child's mother reportedly gone to work, and Patton stayed at the house to watch the baby. The attending doctor at the time told detectives the child's injuries did not match what Patton had said happened. The doctor didn't believe the baby's injuries were accidental, and appeared to be an indication of abuse. Police say the child later died from their injuries at the hospital.
Patton is a member of the U.S. Army and was arrested when trying to enter Fort Hood Army Base. Patton was taken to the Bell County Jail and is awaiting extradition back to Arizona. He faces charges for second-degree murder, 2 counts of child abuse, and failure to provide care. Police say Fort Hood criminal investigators have been coordinating with Tempe Police Detectives since Patton's arrest.
