PHOENIX (AP) -- A teenage father has been indicted in connection with the death of his 1-year-old son.

Tyrell Marquis McDaniel, 17, of Phoenix was indicted Monday and now faces first-degree murder and multiple counts of child abuse for alleged role in the death his infant son Malachi Brewster, a news release from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said.

Arizona law requires that all minors over the age of 15 who are accused of first-degree murder be tried as an adult, County Attorney spokesman Mike Anthony Scerbo said.

On Feb. 12, police received a 911 call from a friend of McDaniel. The caller said the child was not breathing. The child's mother had dropped him off with McDaniel for an overnight stay.

Officers responded to McDaniel's house near 16th Street and Broadway Road just before 2 a.m. According to the news release, police noticed bruises on the victim's chest and forehead.

McDaniel said his son hit his head on a vase, but doctors who examined the child said he suffered from a shaken impact injury.

After spending a short time on life support, the child died.

Jane Walton, a spokeswoman for Phoenix Children's Hospital, said Arizona had 60 child abuse-related deaths in 2007. Phoenix Children's Hospital alone reported 150 cases of child abuse last year.

"We see some sort of child abuse or neglect here every day," Walton said.

---

Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com

© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.