Fort Hood soldier indicted for death of 8-month-old daughter

The call came into the Killeen Police Department on May 11th.  8-month-old Nalani Jessica Hendrich was not breathing.

Emergency medical personnel transported the girl to Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in nearby Temple where doctors diagnosed her with respiratory failure and a number of head injuries including traumatic brain injury, a skull fracture, scalp tissue swelling and abusive head trauma.

Nalani died on May 16th.  In a subsequent medical examination, a doctor noted that her skull had been broken into three separate pieces.

According to the affidavit, 23-year-old Specialist Eddie Braswell told investigators that he had been alone with Nalani at the home on the 11th, and then proceeded to give them a number of differing accounts of how she became injured.

Braswell, who is stationed at Fort Hood and assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division's 1st Sustainment Brigade, initially stated that Nalani had fallen from his lap while he was seated on the couch.  Then he stated that he had dropped her while running up the stairs and finally, that he dropped her in order to perform chest compressions.

Since July 3rd Braswell has been in custody at the Bell County Jail on a $1,000,000 bond.

On August 19th, a Bell County grand jury handed down an indictment against him of a first-degree felony charge of injury to a child with intentional serious bodily injury.

A court date was not listed.