VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) - A man has pleaded not guilty to killing his girlfriend’s 5-year-old daughter.
KATU-TV reports 37-year-old Ryan Burge pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder Tuesday in Clark County Superior Court.
Hartley Anderson was injured Nov. 2 when investigators say Burge was babysitting her while her mother was at work.
Authorities say Anderson was unconscious with severe head trauma when they arrived. She was taken to Peace Health Medical Center and then transferred to Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland.
Court records say Burge told police investigators that the girl hurt herself “while having a tantrum.”
She later died of her injuries.
Records say Burge remains in the Clark County Jail in lieu of $5 million.
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