Fulbright indicted on murder charge in toddler's death
A man accused of severely beating a toddler who later died has been indicted on a murder charge, according to court documents.
Joshua Thomas Fulbright, 26, was free Thursday from Clay County Jail on a $50,000 bond, according to court and jail records.
A Clay County grand jury recently indicted Fulbright on a murder charge, according to an indictment filed Dec. 21 in the Clay County District Clerk's Office.
More: Change of venue granted for trial of a man accused of hitting a toddler who died later
Fulbright is accused of killing 2-year-old Scarlette Olivia Newsom in October 2018, according to the indictment.
He told deputies that he hit her so hard he thought his hand was broken, according to allegations in court documents.
The child's family calls her "Olivia," and Fulbright is not her father.
Fulbright was originally charged with injury to a child in connection with an Oct. 11, 2018, incident, according to court documents. Filings for that case transfer to the new murder case file.
More: Man accused of beating toddler who died gets reduced bail, is free from Clay County Jail
Olivia was pronounced brain dead and taken off life support on Oct. 18, 2018, at Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth, according to family members.
An attempt to try Fulbright on the injury to a child charge ended in a mistrial Dec. 6, 2019, because a jury could not be seated after attorneys questioned a group of 80 potential jurors, according to court documents.
A change of venue was granted, and Fulbright's murder trial will be at the Montague County Courthouse, possibly later this year.
Fulbright's bail conditions include wearing a GPS ankle monitor and having no contact with co-defendant Sarah Elizabeth Newsom, 26, court documents show.
Sarah is also charged with felony injury to a child, according to court records.
She was free Thursday from Clay County Jail on a $50,000 bond, according to jail and court records.
Court documents give an account of the allegations: About 9:38 p.m. Oct. 15, 2018, Olivia was brought into an emergency room at Clay County Memorial Hospital in Henrietta.
Fulbright told Clay County deputies that he became angry the night of Oct. 11, 2018, because Olivia had changed her own diaper and left feces around the bedroom he shared with Sarah, according to allegations in court documents.
Olivia had a large bruise on the left side of her head after he struck her and bruises on her head, arms and back, according to allegations in court documents.
Fulbright told law-enforcement officers Sarah was in the room when he hit Olivia at their home on State Highway 79, according to allegations in court documents.
The day after he hit her, the child began displaying seizure-like behavior and vomited several times a day, according to allegations in court documents.
Sarah told investigators that she slapped Olivia to bring her out of seizure-like behavior, according to allegations in court documents.
The child lapsed into unconsciousness, and the couple brought her to the emergency room in Henrietta, according to allegations in court documents.
Later, Olivia was transported to Cook Children's Hospital for medical treatment, according to allegations in court documents.
More: Report: Fulbright told deputies he hit little Olivia so hard his fingertips felt like exploding
Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news, politics and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Fulbright indicted on murder charge in Clay County toddler's death
