US: Father charged with murdering daughter, 2, after she 'interrupted video game'

A father has been charged with murdering his two-year-old daughter after he allegedly smothered her to death when she interrupted him playing a video game. Anthony Sanders, from Watauga in Texas, will stand trial for the killing of his daughter Ellie Sanders in a "fit of rage" on 12 December last year.

Detectives say Sanders killed the toddler when her mother was out of the house and on her return told his wife their daughter was asleep at around 8.30pm. Then half-an-hour later when her five-year-old brother could not wake the girl her mother knew something was wrong, say police.

Sanders's wife told her son to leave the child before checking herself later and realising she was not breathing and called 911. The toddler was pronounced dead at 10.10pm.

"He tried to wake her up and she wouldn't wake up," said Sergeant Jason Babcock according to the Fort Worth Star Telegram. "He went in there and told [his parents] that she was sleeping and wouldn't wake up."

According to an affidavit doctors discovered after her death that she had bruising on her body and her eyes, blood behind one ear and adult size bite marks on her. It added that she had "raccoon eyes" after her death.

Detectives say that she had been killed though by having a hand forced over her mouth and the Tarrant County Medical Examiner ruled the child's death a homicide caused by asphyxiation earlier this month.

"It was just a fit of rage-type deal, anger," Sergeant Jason Babcock added. "He's very involved in computer gaming. That's something he did constantly. She may have interrupted him somehow. His day may have been interrupted."

It follows Sanders' arrest on 15 April, after a four-month investigation. He stands charged with capital murder and held on $1million (£690,000) bail. Babcock added that Sanders' gave no explanation for the injuries his daughter sustained.

Court records show that five years ago Sanders was charged with choking his children's mother. Ellie's older brother was placed into care with a member of the family.