Teen dad charged with murder in baby’s death

MOULTRIE, Ga. — A Moultrie teen-ager has been charged with murder in the death of his infant daughter who died earlier this week of severe injuries to her head and body.

Cedric Deshawn Martin Jr., 17, was arrested on Monday and charged with felony murder and felony cruelty to children, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said on Tuesday.

The infant girl, 2-month-old Zoee Martin, arrived at Colquitt Regional Medical Center on Thursday and was airlifted to a Macon hospital “due to the extent of her injuries after an evaluation” in Moultrie, the GBI said in a news release. Zoee Martin died on Sunday at Navicent Medical Center.

An autopsy performed the next day “indicated head and body trauma led to her death,” police said.

A Colquitt County Magistrate Court judge denied bond for Cedric Martin during his first appearance in court on Tuesday afternoon. The hearing was a formality, as magistrates are not allowed to set bond for a murder charge, which is a charge that would require a Superior Court judge.

Cedric Martin was one of two teens arrested in April when they were accused of trying to lure a 13-year-old girl into a vacant house to have sex with her.

He and Billy Jarrel Rushing, 19, were each charged with burglary, enticing a child for indecent purposes, and criminal attempt to commit statutory rape.

The GBI asks that anyone with information about the case contact its Thomasville office at (229) 225-4090 or the Moultrie Police Department at (229) 890-5449.

“The investigation is active and ongoing as agents and investigators continue to pursue leads into the death of (Zoee) Martin,” the agency said.

The GBI has also asked for anyone with information about another recent homicide to come forward.

Mattie Green Harris, 68, was found dead outside her residence on Third Avenue Northwest July 18. Both the GBI and Harris’s family have asked the community for tips to help find her killer.

Those tips can be called in at the same phone numbers as information about Zoee Martin’s death: (229) 225-4090 for the GBI and (229) 890-5449 for the Moultrie Police Department.

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