A Pembroke Pines man accused in the brutal murder of his 2-year-old daughter made his first appearance before a judge Thursday morning.
Jeronimo A. Duran, wearing shackles and a protective vest typically used for inmates who could harm themselves, didn't speak during the brief appearance in Broward bond court.
Duran, who is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in his daughter's killing, was ordered held without bond on the murder charge and given a $500,000 bond on the child abuse charge.
"Good luck to you Mr. Duran," the judge told him after finding probable cause on the charges.
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Duran's defense attorney invoked his right to remain silent during the appearance.
Duran, 33, is accused in the brutal murder of his 2-year-old daughter, Melody Alana Rose Duran, on Tuesday morning at a home in the 400 block of Southwest 177th Avenue.
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According to an arrest report, Duran's grandmother arrived at the home and found Duran lying on top of the girl in the kitchen and yelled at him "get off, what are you doing?"
The grandmother then saw that the girl was "blue in color and discolored" and called 911, the report said.
A woman presumed to be the grandmother can be heard saying "Oh my God" repeatedly in Spanish in a 911 call from the incident.
Duran's stepfather arrived at the home and gave the girl CPR until police and fire rescue arrived and took over, the report said.
The girl was rushed to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Police said the toddler had a laceration to her throat, and an arrest report said detectives found a stainless blade black handle steak knife on the kitchen floor that had blood on the handle and blade. The report also said the kitchen floor was covered in blood.
The Broward Medical Examiner's Office will determine her official cause of death.
Investigators haven't determined a motive for the killing. Court documents show Duran was in a custody battle with the mother of his child in which he admitted to having mental health issues.
"He was questioned by detectives, he spoke with detectives and through his statement it helped establish the probable cause for his arrest, however we don't have a motive at this time," Pembroke Pines Police Sgt. Jason Palant told reporters at a news conference Wednesday.
