A father charged in the malnutrition death of his 46-day-old baby has pleaded guilty child abuse homicide.
Zachary Michael Woirhaye, 38, of Logan, was initially charged with aggravated murder, a capital offense, in 1st District Court. But on Friday, prosecutors reduced the charge to child abuse homicide, a second-degree felony, in exchange for Woirhaye's guilty plea. His sentencing is scheduled for March 27.
The infant's mother, Jodi Lee Anderson, 34, is also charged with aggravated murder, as well as obstructing justice, a second-degree felony. Her case is still pending.
Logan police were first contacted by a family member of the baby who said the infant was unresponsive on Dec. 31, 2021. First responders found Anderson, a 10-year-old child and the baby in a hotel room where the family had been living for several weeks, a police booking affidavit states. The baby had no heartbeat and wasn't breathing.
Medical staff performed life-saving measures, but the infant was removed from life support on Jan. 12, 2022, due to a lack of brain activity. The state medical examiner listed the infant's immediate cause of death as malnutrition.