Murder Charges Filed in Palm Desert Infant Beating Death

Murder charges were filed Friday against a 19-year-old woman and her 22-year-old boyfriend, who are accused in the killing of the woman's 8-week-old daughter in Palm Desert.

Sarah Catherine Connor and Joseph Eugene Champion, both of Palm Desert, were each charged with the murder and assault of Harmony Connor, causing great bodily injury.

Both pleaded not guilty at their arraignment Friday afternoon at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. The public defender's office was appointed to represent both defendants, who are due back in court on June 10.

The two were arrested Wednesday, the same day the infant succumbed to what investigators said were several traumatic injuries, said Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Jeff Buompensiero.

A criminal complaint obtained by Palm Desert Patch show prosecutors allege Connor and Champion "did willfully and unlawfully assault said child by means of force that to a reasonable person would be likely to produce great bodily injury, resulting in the death of said child."

The baby was not breathing when deputies responded to a juvenile medical aid call in the 73000 block of Pinyon Street about 6:15 a.m. May 24.

The infant was initially taken to Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage and later transferred to Loma Linda University Medical Center, Buompensiero said.

Connor was being held in lieu of $1 million bail and Champion was jailed without bail, according to jail records.


– City News Service contributed to this report.