No bail for Logan man charged with killing baby girl

Booking photo for Kyle J. Gooch (Courtesy: Cache County Jail).

LOGAN — A 30-year-old Logan man has been ordered to remain in jail after appearing before a judge on a charge of killing a baby girl by smothering her. Kyle T. Gooch will remain in the Cache County Jail on a no bail status as prosecutors served new charges against him.

Court records show, Gooch was arraigned in 1st District Court Thursday afternoon, appearing by video from jail. He was previously charged with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony.

Judge Thomas Willmore ordered Gooch be held without bail. He also ordered the defendant to appear again in court August 12.

Gooch was arrested Tuesday night following an investigation into the death of a baby girl, who allegedly died from being smothered on the night of December 14, 2018. Logan City police claim the child had “several signs of trauma” on her body, when they found her deceased in her crib, wrapped tightly in a blanket and lying face down.

An autopsy report later found the victim had thirteen different blunt force injuries to the head. A physician later concluded that the wounds were not accidental and were “consistent with inflicted pressure as might occur with smothering.” It also appeared the facial abrasions could have been caused by rubbing the baby’s face back and forth on the mattress sheet while being smothered.

Police believe Gooch was caring for the child at the time of the death, while the baby’s mother was gone picking up gifts for Christmas. He is suspected of smothering the girl as a way to stop her crying.

Court records show, Gooch has not been assigned a defense attorney yet because of a conflict of interest with public defender Shannon Demler, who is the only one certified to defend a possible death penalty case. He could face either death or life in prison if convicted.

The new pending charges against Gooch relate to an incident that police and prosecutors learned about as they were investigating the murder. They reportedly took place on June 5. The charges include aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony; aggravated assault, a third-degree felony; and misdemeanor criminal mischief.


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