A Texas man is behind bars on a $1 million bond, accused of beating a 9-month-old girl to death while wanted for the killing of another toddler years prior. San Antonio police say Rick P. Artis, 31, tried to hide his identity when officers arrived at an apartment on Ingram Road back in January.
Paramedics found the infant unresponsive just before 11 a.m. on Jan. 25. Artis, identifying himself as “Eric,” claimed he found the baby not breathing when he went to make a bottle. But the child’s mother told investigators the baby was standing up and smiling just hours before.
While Artis played the part of a grieving caretaker, authorities say he was covering his tracks.
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An autopsy revealed the baby didn’t die of natural causes but suffered a significant skull fracture from blunt force trauma.
When detectives brought the couple back for questioning days later, the “Eric” facade crumbled.
Police discovered Artis was actually Rick Artis, a man with an active warrant for injury to a child in a 2018 case. In that incident, a 17-month-old also suffered a skull fracture and later died.
Phone records added to the suspicion. Before waking the mother or calling 911, Artis allegedly texted a paralegal and a friend about the death. He now faces a charge of injury to a child with intent to cause serious bodily injury.
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