18 year old arrested for attempting to murder newborns after entering hospital nursery

Odessa, Texas: On Monday, October 3, the Odessa Police Department responded to a disturbance call at the Odessa Regional Medical Hospital's Nursery unit.

At the hospital officers encountered 18-year-old Marcus Dewayne McCowan Jr. When confronted by officers, he is said to have resisted arrest to the point of attempting to unsuccessfully pull an officer's firearm.

Vine shows McCowan as being in custody at the Ector County Detention Center. At this time the charges against him include two counts of attempted capitol murder, assault, assault of a public servant, resisting arrest, attempting to take a weapon from an officer, criminal trespass, and possession of a controlled substance. His bond was set at a combined $228,000.

According to the probable cause affidavit seen by KMID, the incident began shortly before 6:30 pm.

McCowan was at the hospital because his girlfriend was in labor. One nurse, Taylor Frandenburg, relayed that McCowan had approached the nurse's station where he took hold of her arm and said something "unintelligible." He was asked the leave the area and then commenced running back and forth along the hallway. Taylor described his actions as "odd and unreasonable."

He is then said to have approached a new mother who was holding her newborn in a baby carrier while waiting to be discharged. McCowan seemed to focus intently on the child until the mother moved the child from his line of sight.

He briefly left the area, but the nurses soon heard stomping. They stated that McCowan was running toward them at full speed, yelling and screaming. He is said to have charged all three nurses and to have made an unsuccessful attempt to break into the locked nursery.

McCowan is then said to have grabbed the newborn in the baby carrier and to have taken the infant into the lactation room. A nurse followed him and stated that McCowan was observed with his hands around the baby's neck. Before the nurses were able to get the infant away from him, they stated that the child's face had begun to turn colors from lack of oxygen.

Martha Fuentes, a respiratory therapist that had heard the commotion came to investigate in time to see McCowan force his way into the nursery.

Martha told officers that she observed McCowan grab a newborn and begin strangling her with both hands before picking her up by the neck and beginning to shake her.

McCowan was then heard telling the baby, "die," before making a motion that lead Martha to believe he was going to throw the baby to the ground.

Martha was then able to get McCowan to the ground in order to keep the baby from falling, while protecting her head. Shortly thereafter a hospital security officer arrived and together, they were able to free the infant from McCowan's grasp.

The condition of the infants was not disclosed.