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Man accused of shaking baby before she died ordered to stand trial

PITTSBURGH — A man accused of shaking his girlfriend’s baby so violently that she later died was ordered to stand trial Friday.

Kamero Newton, better known as Kami by her family, was 5 months old when she died from her injuries she allegedly suffered when Kenneth Reeves shook her, police said.

Reeves, 29, was charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

According to the criminal complaint, Reeves was alone with Kami at Julie Vojtash’s house on Parklow Street on Dec. 6 when Vojtash heard the baby crying.

Vojtash went upstairs and asked Reeves what happened. He said, “I don’t know,” according to the complaint.

The complaint said that when Vojtash tried to give the baby a bottle, Kami lost consciousness within minutes “while her mother, Julie, was still holding her and quit breathing.

The child was taken off life support three days later.

According to the criminal complaint, when Vojtash was talking to police, she said she remembered another time recently when she found Kami crying after being left alone with Reeves.

“After learning from doctors that Kamero was basically brain dead from abusive trauma on Saturday night, (Vojtash) was inconsolable for leaving her infant daughter alone with Kenny Reeves,” the complaint said.

This incident was not the first time Reeves has been charged with hurting children.

He was on probation for a child abuse case in North Versailles at the time of Kami’s death, but Vojtash said she didn’t know anything about that conviction.

Formal arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 18.

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