23-year-old father, who was in charge of his 4-month-old daughter’s care while his wife was at work when he used a hard object to beat the girl to death, was sentenced
Florida – In a harrowing incident in Florida that left first responders and investigators shaken, a 23-year-old father, identified as J. Kubai, who beat his 4-month-old daughter so viciously that she suffered fatal internal injuries, has been sentenced to three decades in prison. The man later claimed his baby and wife were “not real.”
Kubai has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter of a child for the February 2024 death of his infant daughter, Willow. The infant died two days after being hospitalized for injuries so severe they horrified even veteran detectives.
Kubai was solely responsible for Willow’s care while his wife was at work. Instead of protecting his daughter, he inflicted fatal injuries that included a skull fracture, 10 broken ribs, hemorrhaging to her spine, and multiple brain bleeds, according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities were alerted to the case around 8:30 p.m. on February 22, when Kubai brought his unresponsive daughter to the hospital. From there, she was airlifted to another hospital but died two days later due to the extensive trauma inflicted on her tiny body.
Kubai initially told investigators that he and Willow had dropped off his wife at work at 5 p.m., after which he went home, played video games, and later went to Walmart at 6:40 p.m. to get food. He claimed he fed Willow at 7:50 p.m. and checked on her every 10 minutes until 8:10 p.m., when he allegedly discovered her unresponsive and rushed her to the hospital. But surveillance footage from Walmart contradicted his version of events — he had gone alone, without his daughter. Investigators believe that the violent attack occurred before Kubai left the house for his shopping trip.
An autopsy revealed devastating trauma. “The baby was literally beaten to death,” said Sheriff G. Judd at a press conference. Investigators concluded that Willow’s ribs were broken from being squeezed, and that Kubai struck her in the forehead 10 times and used a hard object to hit the back of her head. Though Kubai initially spoke with law enforcement, his attitude quickly changed. “He started saying ‘none of this is real,’” Sheriff Judd said. “‘My wife’s not real. My baby’s not real. This is a fantasy. This just didn’t happen.’” Judd added that Kubai showed no remorse, did not shed a single tear, and began “playing games” with detectives during questioning.
Investigators described the crime scene and autopsy results as one of the most violent cases of child abuse they had seen. The brutality of the attack, the attempt to lie about what happened, and the indifference Kubai showed in the aftermath all contributed to the severity of his sentence. The 10th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office announced Kubai’s sentencing in a public statement, noting the plea deal spared him a trial but guaranteed a significant prison term. By pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter, Kubai avoided facing more severe charges such as first-degree murder but still received a 30-year sentence in a state prison.
For Willow’s family and the community, her death has left a hole that no legal resolution can truly fill. What was supposed to be a regular evening under her father’s care turned into a nightmare, ending in unimaginable violence against an innocent baby. The case stands as a painful reminder of the devastating consequences when caregivers turn into predators and the importance of vigilance, justice, and accountability when a child’s life is taken far too soon.
