A judge denied bond for a 33-year-old father who is accused of the brutal murder of his 2-year old daughter inside their Pembroke Pines home.
Jerónimo Duran appeared before a judge on Thursday and was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in his daughter’s killing.
“Mr. Duran you will be held no bond, on count one and count two bond will be $500,000,” said the judge.
The incident happened on Tuesday after Pembroke Pines Police and fire rescue units responded to a home on the 400 block of Southwest 177th Avenue on, where they found the toddler bleeding from her neck.
New details released on Wednesday revealed what happened the day Duran allegedly killed his daughter.
According to court records, Duran picked up his daughter, identified as Melody Alana Rose Duran on Tuesday morning and brought her to the house. After a few hours, there was a gruesome discovery.
The 2-year-old’s great grandmother, who lives with Duran, came home and witnessed her murder.
“When she arrived at the residence, she saw the suspect on top of the two-year-old child, and noticed that the child did not appear to be breathing, at which time she called for 911.”
“An ambulance is what I need, fast,” the grandmother told a dispatcher.
When first responders arrived at the scene, they found Melody’s throat cut and a knife nearby.
Her mother, Mona Clarke, is now being comforted by family who arrived at her Miami Gardens home.
Her sister spoke to 7News.
“She’s not doing to good right now. Just trying to be a big support for her,” said Clarke’s sister.
Clarke and Duran were together for twelve year, but according to court documents, she was afraid of him.
The filing stated Clarke was afraid of Duran’s “paranoia and anger issues … anxiety and has been Baker Acted a minimum of five times,” and referred to his behavior as “erratic … violent and dangerous to the mother and child.”
Clarke asked the court for a psychological evaluation after she said Duran was hearing voices to end his life. Some while he was alone with the child.
She also asked for him to do a drug test and for supervised visits.
Ultimately, in March, the parents agreed to split custody, where Duran had unsupervised time with Melody.
Those court documents came from a paternity case, where Duran wanted to make sure that he was Melody’s father.
Duran remains at the Broward County Jail.
