LOGAN — A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for a 30-year-old Logan man, who has been charged with smothering and killing a baby girl. Kyle T. Gooch remains in the Cache County Jail after being arrested in July.
Gooch appeared in 1st District Court Monday afternoon. He was previously charged with aggravated murder, a capital offense; aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony; aggravated assault and violating a protective order, both third-degree felonies; and other misdemeanors.
Defense attorney Rudy Bautista requested the preliminary hearing, where a judge will determine whether Gooch will be bound over for trial. He said the hearing will likely last a half-day, so prosecutors can present all of their evidence.
Judge Kevin Allen scheduled the hearing for November 12.
Gooch was arrested July 30, following an investigation into the death of a baby girl, who allegedly died from being smothered on the night of December 14, 2018. Logan City police claim the child had “several signs of trauma” on her body, when they found her deceased in her crib, wrapped tightly in a blanket and lying face down.
An autopsy report later found the victim had thirteen different blunt force injuries to the head. A physician concluded that the wounds were not accidental and were “consistent with inflicted pressure as might occur with smothering.” It also appeared the facial abrasions could have been caused by rubbing the baby’s face back and forth on the mattress sheet while being smothered.
Police believe Gooch was caring for the child at the time of the death, while the baby’s mother was gone picking up gifts for Christmas. He is suspected of smothering the girl as a way to stop her crying.
Gooch remains in jail, being held without bail. He could face either death or life in prison if convicted.
will@cvradio.com