Man Kills His Own Baby After Allegedly Intentionally Starting House Fire At Ex-Girlfriend's Home

perezhilton.com:

A Kansas man is facing first-degree murder and arson charges after allegedly intentionally starting a house fire that killed his young child. Nicholas Ecker, a resident of Prairie Village, Kansas, was arraigned in a Johnson County courtroom on Tuesday afternoon for an incident that occurred just before 1:00 a.m.

local time on Sunday morning in the nearby city of Shawnee. According to a release sent out by the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office, Ecker (pictured in his mugshot, above) is now being held on $1 million bond. Related: Man Arrested For ‘Gruesome’ Murder Of Woman Found Hanging From Tree Details about the specific incident are scarce at this point, but multiple media outlets report that the child, who was born in 2020, was killed in the late-night blaze.

The fire had “fully engulfed” the home quickly, even before firefighters could arrive on scene. Once there, sadly, the baby was pronounced dead after firefighters discovered the child’s body inside.

KMBC reports that Ecker apparently had a contentious relationship with the child’s mother going back some time. Ecker had been previously prohibited from visiting her Shawnee residence after he had been arrested on misdemeanor charges for allegedly breaking a protection order by contacting her earlier this month.