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Insets: Belle and Donovan Winter (Brevard County Sheriff's Office). Background: The country astir Belle and Donovan Winter's location successful Merritt Island, Fla., wherever their lad was killed (Google Maps).
Two Florida parents are facing transgression charges for allegedly abusing and killing their 2-month-old son, with cellphone records showing however they would substance each different things similar "Ugh this kid is sidesplitting me" and "I'm done with this … you already cognize what I'm going to do" portion struggling with his bedtime routine, according to tribunal documents.
Donovan Winter, 26, and Belle Winter, 23, are some charged with first-degree felony execution and aggravated child abuse for their son's 2021 death, according to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office. Donovan was arrested connected June 17, 2025, portion Belle was taken into custody connected Monday and extradited from Pennsylvania, wherever she moved aft their lad died, constabulary said.
The sheriff's bureau explained the apprehension delay, saying the charges came aft "an highly thorough investigation," including investigators extracting texts and cellphone records.
"These cases, arsenic you know, they sometimes tin instrumentality a agelong clip erstwhile you're dealing with a kid maltreatment lawsuit specified arsenic this," BCSO Public Information Officer Tod Goodyear told section NBC affiliate WESH. "You're having to woody with aesculapian evidence, the Department of Children and Families, kid extortion team, aesculapian examiner and a batch of times you person much than 1 caretaker that whitethorn person had entree to the kid during its life."
Deputies responded to a residence successful Merritt Island successful June 2021 and recovered the deceased 2-month-old lad "face down" successful a bassinet with a pacifier successful his mouth, according to Donovan Winter's arrest affidavit. The kid was taken to the Brevard County Medical Examiner's Office, wherever an autopsy determined that helium had died from "multiple blunt-impact caput injuries," constabulary said.
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Donovan Winter's apprehension affidavit shows that some parents struggled with the baby's bedtime routine. "The probe revealed Donovan and [Belle], some young, struggled with child's bouts of inconsolable crying," the affidavit said. "This was evidenced by substance messages discovered during the consensual hunt of their cellular phones, wherein they each complained."
Between March 31, 2021, and June 1, 2021, the brace allegedly exchanged texts astir however they wanted to effort to halt the crying. Donovan Winter allegedly made statements specified arsenic "I'm done" and "I can't bash it with this kid," the affidavit says.
"I'm tired," Donovan Winter allegedly texted Belle Winter, who was moving astatine the clip of the correspondence. "He's screaming won't unopen up."
Donovan Winter allegedly claimed successful different message, "I'll bash what I usually do" and "easy asf," according to the affidavit. "He volition beryllium sleeping 24/7 erstwhile you astatine work," helium allegedly said, per the affidavit. It's unclear erstwhile the texts were sent.
In May 2025, authorities asked Belle and Donovan Winter to travel successful for a sworn interview. Both allegedly claimed they didn't cognize what happened to their son. Belle Winter allegedly said that she took a 2-hour ablution connected the nighttime the babe died aft arriving location from work, past checked the babe to spot if helium was sleeping.
"When she turned the decedent implicit she saw the decedent's eyes were purple and his look was 'squished' to 1 side," Donovan's affidavit says. "She further advised the decedent's assemblage was 'very stiff.'"
The brace was asked if they ever shook the baby, with Belle Winter saying that she hadn't and Donovan Winter allegedly saying helium would determination the kid astir to effort and marque him "happy" but not violently, according to the affidavit.
"Donovan Winter provided inconsistent details regarding however helium tried to marque the decedent 'happy' erstwhile helium threw the decedent into the air, but failed to drawback him connected the mode down," the affidavit says. "He yet admitted to throwing the decedent into the aerial portion helium was lasting and missed the catch. He advised the incidental occurred astir 2 weeks anterior to the decedent being recovered deceased."
Witnesses told cops successful interviews that the kid was "in bully wellness with nary injuries" from March 31, 2021, until his decease connected June 1, 2021. Images and video of the lad were recovered connected 1 of the parents' phones, showing him wearing the aforesaid apparel that morning, the affidavit says. Follow-up interviews were yet ordered owed to "denials and inconsistencies" that came from the parents, according to the affidavit.
Donovan Winter allegedly told investigators helium thought Belle Winter's ablution was "long" and she had gone to the bath aft "slamming" the door. A 2nd doorway to the bath was besides slammed, helium claimed.
"Donovan Winter struggled with the decedent, arsenic helium was over-tired and fussy and [Belle] did not travel retired to assistance oregon assist," the affidavit says. "Winter provided details of however helium prepared the decedent for furniture by rocking him portion lasting implicit the crib. He further stated helium swayed the decedent backmost and distant and admitted helium whitethorn person been a small unsmooth arsenic helium didn't cognize his ain strength."
Donovan Winter allegedly demonstrated the question helium made with the child, showing however helium clutched him successful a "vertical benignant clasp arsenic helium jumped up and down," according to cops. He allegedly recalled laying the babe "face down successful the bassinet" with a pacifier successful his mouth, which came retired twice. Donovan Winter allegedly held the pacifier successful spot portion helium was look down, according to the affidavit.
"It should beryllium noted that was the nonstop presumption decedent was recovered the pursuing greeting deceased," the affidavit says. "He did not alteration the decedent's diaper. He enactment a pacifier successful the decedent's rima and enactment the babe down look archetypal earlier helium went to bed."
Donovan Winter allegedly admitted that the kid was "crying and hard to calm" during their bedtime routine. It wasn't until helium laid his lad successful the bassinet — look down portion holding a pacifier successful his rima — that the babe was "no longer crying."
Both Donovan and Belle Winter are being held astatine the Brevard County Jail without bond.
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