Peabody man accused of assaulting 6-week-old daughter pleads innocent

SALEM – Bail for a Peabody father accused of shaking and “head-butting” his 6-week-old infant daughter was set at $75,000 cash following his arraignment.Richard Elias, 22, who had been living at 12 Magnolia Way in Peabody, pleaded innocent Friday morning in Salem Superior Court to two counts of assault and battery on a child causing serious bodily injury, before Judge Timothy Q. Feeley.Although Elias had been held without bail because he was deemed a danger in Peabody District Court, Assistant District Attorney Kate B. McDougall said she was not renewing that issue in Superior Court and instead asked for a $75,000 cash bail to be set.McDougall told Feeley that the bail amount requested was based on the strength of the government’s case and his minimal ties to the area.She said that on the night of Oct. 29, Elias took his infant daughter, Isabella, to North Shore Children’s Hospital, because she was suffering from seizures.The infant was immediately transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital where it was determined the child had suffered traumatic brain injury and bleeding in the brain.Doctors determined the child had significant brain damage that was almost fatal. Isabella survived but will probably be blind because of the inflicted injuries.Doctors also found four rib fractures on Isabella which were in the process of healing, indicating prior trauma.His wife was not at home at the time and was attending a Halloween party.Investigators learned after questioning Elias that he admitted he had shaken and squeezed his daughter as well as “head butted” her and hit her head against a changing table, said McDougall.Elias allegedly told investigators that the baby was crying, he was drinking beer and trying to play Xbox. He grew frustrated with his daughter crying so he shook and head-butted her.It was also learned that two weeks earlier on Oct. 20 the baby was taken to the hospital because of a seizure, but doctors couldn’t determine what caused the convulsion and sent her home.The couple had been married for two years, but since the incident happened his wife has filed for divorce because she is “horrified” about what happened, stated McDougall.McDougall told Feeley that Elias comes from upstate New York, has served in the military and was honorably discharged in June.Defense lawyer Mark Schmidt said he was not yet prepared to argue bail for his client but explained that Elias was in the Army from 2007 until 2011 where he served in Germany and a year in Iraq locating and disassembling mines.He indicated that the major part of his case will probably be Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.Elias is facing up to 15 years in state prison on each of the two charges, if convicted.Feeley agreed to set bail at $75,000 cash, but left the door open for a bail review hearing in the future.In the meantime, Elias remains held in lieu of bail at the Middleton Jail.