Bond has been denied for a man charged with capital murder in the death of a three-year-old girl.
Meridian police arrested 25-year-old Joshua Salovich on Saturday after he and the girl’s mother took the child to emergency.
“He was initially charged with felony child abuse, but after the infant died as a result of injuries that Saturday, his charges were upgraded to capital murder. At that time, it was a $1 million bond, but after the prelims, the judge determined there should be no bond since there was a capital murder charge,” said Meridian Police Chief Benny Dubose.
Police said Salovich is not the child’s biological father, but his name appears on her birth certificate.
The three-year-old had to be airlifted to Jackson due to injuries on her head, abdomen, buttocks, and legs. After a thorough evaluation, doctors found blood in her brain and lungs and a detached retina.
Salovich told police he was teaching the child how to count, and when she got the numbers wrong, he would beat her with his fists, a bamboo stick, and a phone charging cord. Police said the mother was sitting in another room with the door closed and watching TV at the time of the incident.
“If the mother had of been present in that particular room when this incident occurred, or had knowledge that this incident was occurring, there may have been charges in that case,” said Dubose.
Although discipling a child may be seen as a normal part of parenting, Dubose said there are times when it goes too far.
“Any time there are injuries sustained by the child as a result of so called discipline, the law is pretty clear that it’s not going to be acceptable”
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