Houston father sentenced to 45 years for brutal death of his premature baby in 2018, DA says
Jason Robin was convicted for his role in the murder of his 2-month-old baby girl, whose mother is also charged in her death.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston father will spend 45 years in prison for brutally beating his premature baby to death in 2018, the Harris County District Attorney's Office announced Friday.
The video above is from the original 2019 report.
Jason Robin, 28, pleaded guilty to his part in the murder of baby Jazmine Rose, who died on July 15, 2018, less than two weeks after being brought home from the hospital.
Robin had been engaged to the baby's mother, Katharine White, who is still facing charges related to Jazmine's death.
SEE PREVIOUS REPORT: Upgraded murder charges against parents in case of premature baby who died with 96 fractures
Baby Jazmine was born prematurely at just 29 weeks on April 30, 2018. She had been in the neonatal intensive care unit for two months, before doctors declared her healthy enough to be released on July 3, 2018.
Less than two weeks later, Jazmine was brought to the hospital with massive injuries, including head trauma. She died at the hospital.
An autopsy revealed that baby Jazmine had at least 70 to 80 total fractures, including dozens of rib fractures and long-bone fractures. She also had two skull fractures, old and new brain bleeds, and retinal hemorrhages in both eyes, the DA's office said.
Investigators who spoke to Robin and White at the hospital in 2018 wrote in court documents that the parents described various situations where the baby wouldn't take a bottle or "acted weird."
About a week before her death, Robin and White said they had to give Jazmine CPR because she stopped breathing, but court documents show once she regained consciousness, they did not take her to the hospital.
A man who lived in the same house as them during that time said that he told Robin he needed to take the baby to the hospital but that he had refused.
A pediatrician who had seen the baby days before her death also told investigators she advised the parents to take the child to the hospital, but that they showed "no interest."
"It makes my heart break," Jazmine's great-grandmother told ABC13 following the murder, adding that she never even had the chance to meet her granddaughter before she died.
After Jazmine's death, the couple's older son was placed in foster care and another baby girl White had given birth to was given to Robin's parents.
As part of Robin's plea deal, he'll have to testify against White for her role in Jazmine's death. He also cannot appeal the conviction or the punishment and will have to serve at least half of the sentence before he is eligible for parole.
Assistant District Attorney Gilbert Sawtelle said Robin's parents loved their granddaughter and "were relieved to finally get some closure and justice for the baby."
