Cordele man pleads guilty to murder of 4-month-old son in Houston County

23-year-old Ortiz Smothers pleaded guilty to the murder of 4-month-old Omar Smothers in Houston County Superior Court

PERRY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A 23-year-old Cordele man pleaded guilty to the 2017 murder of his 4-month-old son.

Ortiz Deion Smothers pleaded guilty Monday morning in the Houston Superior Court to one count of Felony Murder. The guilty plea comes in connection with the 2017 murder of Omar Smothers, Ortiz’s son.

The judge sentenced Ortiz to life in the state penitentiary with the possibility of parole after 30 years.

The incident 

On June 12, 2017, around 11 a.m., Ortiz asked a household member to call 911 after the baby appeared unresponsive with swelling on the side of his head.

Upon arrival at Navicent Health’s pediatric I.C.U., medical professionals determined that the baby suffered multiple fractures to his skull. Professionals deemed the injuries as deliberate impacts to the infant’s head.

Houston County investigators revealed that Ortiz was the only person with his son during the time in which the injuries must have occurred. Several witnesses said that there was nothing wrong with the child earlier that morning when they last saw him.

Investigators say that Ortiz complained in a Facebook post about his child crying and he just wanted to get some sleep. The infant was pronounced dead from the head injuries the following day.