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No charges filed against man who confessed to punching 14-month-old baby to death

Posted at 1:13 PM, Dec 02, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-02 13:13:50-05

FRESNO, Calif. -- A California man who admitted to police that he punched a 14-month-old baby to death has been released from jail.

Police say 30-year-old Kenneth Johnson lost control and beat Jose Luis Espinoza to death on Nov. 20th, according to KFSN. He told officers that he punched the infant in the stomach because he would not quit crying.

Johnson's girlfriend was babysitting Espinoza at the time of the incident when he came over to visit. That's when Johnson, who had a history of domestic violence, snapped and punched the baby to death.

On Thursday, the district attorney's office decided not to charge Johnson, saying a prior autopsy showed internal injury but doctors did not see visible injuries on the child.

Authorities say they're confident that he is guilty of the crime, but detectives have not been asked to submit more evidence.