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A 20-year-old Grand Island man is believed to have suffocated his girlfriend's infant daughter to death with a pillow and a blanket, Deputy Hall County Attorney Bob Cashoili said on Friday.
Cashoili said Christopher Mathes Klein gave 7-week-old Caitlynne Bohlen a pacifier on Wednesday, then wrapped her face tightly with a blanket and squeezed her against the side of her bassinet with a pillow.
He said Klein was taught the technique by his girlfriend, the baby's mother, 19-year-old Tiffany Ann Bohlen of Grand Island.
Cashoili did not say why the couple used the technique, whether it was to quiet the child or a deliberate attempt to harm her.
The baby was taken to St. Francis Medical Center on Wednesday evening after she was found not breathing by paramedics at 119 W. 11th St., where both Klein and Bohlen live. No external injuries were found on the baby, but she died a short time later.
Bohlen and Klein, who was not the baby's father, were arrested on Wednesday and appeared in Hall County Court on Friday morning. They have not yet been charged, pending the results of an autopsy to be completed on Monday, Cashoili said.
Cashoili said the case is still under investigation, though he did tell Hall County Judge David Bush that he expected to file at least as serious a charge as manslaughter against Bohlen.
Under Nebraska law, manslaughter is defined as the unlawful killing of another without malice. It may be voluntary, upon a sudden impulse, or involuntary in the commission of some unlawful act.
Cashoili did not say anything about Klein's potential charge.
Their arraignment is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, and they are being held on bond of 10 percent of $250,000.
Klein was charged on Friday for violating the Sex Offender Registration Act. He moved to Grand Island several months ago from the Minneapolis area and never registered his new address, Cashoili said.
That charge brings a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Klein's preliminary hearing in that case is set for 3 p.m. April 14, and his bond for that charge is 10 percent of $25,000.
Neither Klein nor Bohlen, who were both wearing orange jail uniforms, said anything beyond a quiet "yes" or "no" at Friday's court appearance. Bohlen was visibly shaking while waiting in the courtroom, but Klein was still.
Neither was represented by an attorney, and both said "no" when asked if they had a job or other means of income.
Bohlen was appointed an attorney from the Hall County public defender's office. The Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy was appointed to defend Klein.
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