A Florida man is going to prison for “viciously” beating his 4-month-old daughter to death, resulting in 10 broken ribs, a skull fracture, and spinal hemorrhage.
Jacob Kubai, 23, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter of a child, according to a press release from the State Attorney’s Office for the Tenth Judicial Circuit. Kubai was responsible for his daughter’s care while his wife worked two jobs.
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As previously reported by Law&Crime, Bartow police were dispatched to Bartow Regional Medical Center around 8:30 p.m. on February 22, 2024, to assist with a child in cardiac arrest. Willow Kubai, also known as “Strawberry,” was transported to a hospital in Tampa by medical personnel in a helicopter. She died two days later.
Detectives from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office later discovered that Kubai rushed the girl to the hospital after discovering her unresponsive. The father told investigators that he and the girl dropped off Willow’s mother at work around 5 p.m., Sheriff Grady Judd said at a press conference after the arrest.
Kubai said he spent some time playing video games before going to Walmart around 6:40 p.m. to pick up some dinner items and returning. He stated that he fed the baby at 7:50 p.m. and checked on her every 10 minutes until 8:10 p.m., when he discovered his daughter suddenly unresponsive.
Kubai stated that he performed CPR and then transported the infant to the hospital.
When detectives checked the security cameras at Walmart, they discovered he was there without the baby. Judd claimed investigators determined he beat Willow before leaving for the grocery store.
Willow’s horrific injuries were revealed during an autopsy, including a skull fracture, multiple bruises on her forehead, ten fractured ribs, spinal hemorrhage, and multiple layers of brain bleed, according to Judd. Investigators believe Kubai squeezed her, causing the broken ribs. Kubai also hit Willow ten times on the forehead and struck her in the back of the head with a hard object.
“The baby was literally beaten to death,” Judd explained.
Kubai initially cooperated with cops, but later changed his tune.
“He started saying ‘none of this is real,'” Judd said. “My wife is not real. My baby is not real. This is a fantasy. This just did not happen. He immediately began playing games with us. He showed no remorse. He didn’t cry, but he literally beat and squeezed his four-month-old baby to death.”