Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
(Orem-AP) -- The Orem man accused of beating his two-year-old stepdaughter and raping her is being charged with attempted murder.
Juan Garcia was arrested last month after he took the little girl to the hospital saying the girl fell while he was in the shower.
But medical personnel say the girl's injuries are consistent with abuse.
Prosecutors say the little girl's skull was "literally ripped apart". She was on life support until this past weekend when she began breathing again on her own.
Yesterday the 22-year-old was charged with attempted murder, sexual assault and second-degree felony child abuse.
Garcia is in the Utah County Jail on 50-thousand dollars bail.
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
