ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — A Davenport man accused of shaking and killing his 2-month-old daughter in May 2022 has pleaded not guilty.
19-year-old Bryson Hall had his preliminary hearing in Rock Island County Court on Tuesday, July 12. He is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery and aggravated domestic battery which are all felonies.
During preliminary testimony, Moline Detective Sharmain Harris-Howell testified on what her investigation had uncovered. According to her, Hall had been at home with his infant daughter, Jamila Hall, around 7:30 in the morning on May 24. The two had been at the baby's mother's house in Moline, where Hall had allegedly been staying.
According to Harris-Howell's testimony, Hall had been trying to feed the baby with formula but she was used to breast milk and began to fuss. As he tried to calm her down, he began rocking and eventually shaking the infant. That, said Harris-Howell, was when the child turned gray and went limp.
Around 9:55 that morning, Moline PD responded to a call at Genesis Medical Center in Silvis, where they found the baby suffering from a brain injury.
The child was airlifted to the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City and had to be resuscitated during the flight, according to Harris-Howell. Upon landing, she underwent surgery, had to be placed on a ventilator and began suffering from seizures.
The baby eventually died from her injuries on June 14. A preliminary autopsy shows her brain injury to be the cause of death, as testified by Harris-Howell.
During her investigation, she said her team spoke to Hall and several doctors and nurses that had interacted with the family.
"He was trying to console her by rocking her and shaking her head," said Harris-Howell. "That was not working. And he told myself and staff members that he was trying to console her and he had shaken her, in his words, too aggressively, which caused her body to go limp."
During her testimony, the detective also revealed that Hall had allegedly known about the dangers of shaking an infant.
"I went back and gathered medical records to show that he was present during the birth of the child," said Harris-Howell. "He was given safety instructions by medical staff during those three days that Jamila was in the hospital before discharge. He was given discharge instructions, specifically, in a booklet that talks about not to shake a baby."
During cross-examination, the defense questioned the detective about if anyone else had been home to witness the alleged shaking. She responded that the brother of the baby's mother had been in the basement the whole time but had not seen what had happened.
The defense also pointed out that the child had no prior medical complications or old injuries that were caused before May 24 when she arrived at the hospital.
By the end of the hearing, the court did find probable cause. Hall's next pre-trial appearance is set for August 11 at 1 p.m. He is currently in jail on a $500,000 bond.
Due to a media objection ruled on shortly before the hearing, News 8 is allowed to film in the courtroom but cannot capture photos or videos of Hall in court before the trial begins.