Overview
- Nicolas John Stout, 38, is charged with first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death and remains in custody after a Tuesday hearing with no bail.
- The victim was identified as 2-year-old Valkyrie Erickson, who was found unresponsive early Sunday and later declared dead at 6:03 a.m. at a hospital, according to court records.
- Investigators documented bloody towels and wipes in a trash can and a large bloody handprint on a bedroom wall, the affidavit states.
- Police wrote that the child had bruises in various stages of healing, head indentations, and pattern bruises that they said were too significant to result from a fall.
- Witnesses described frequent yelling and slapping sounds, and the child’s mother told police she saw Stout smack the girl the night before, while Stout maintained the injuries came from a fall and said he briefly left to buy cigarettes; the official cause of death has not been released.