Dad cleared of killing his daughter after son says he did it
FORT WORTH, Texas — A capital murder charge has been dismissed against a North Texas man in the death of his 2-year-old daughter, after prosecutors learned her then-5-year-old brother said he caused her death.
Anthony Michael Sanders was accused of smothering his daughter, Ellie Mae, at their home in the Fort Worth suburb of Watauga in 2015. Investigators believed Sanders held his hand over her mouth out of anger for her interrupting his computer games.
Jailed since April 2016, Sanders denied responsibility. He said he found his daughter not breathing after his son reported she wouldn’t wake up.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports prosecutors recently learned the boy told his mother he was responsible. Investigators say the boy cried as he told them he accidentally rolled a heavy pillow onto his sister’s face while they played and it was too heavy for him to move.