Child’s Death May Prompt Murder Charge Against Man

An Anaheim man in jail after pleading guilty to felony abuse of a 4-year-old girl could face murder charges now that the child has died, police said Friday.

Elizabeth C. Halliday, who had been hospitalized for a week with severe head injuries, was taken off life support Thursday, authorities said.

Joseph W. Beaman, 21, the boyfriend of the child’s mother, remained in custody after being arrested May 28 when a preliminary investigation found that he was with the child in her Anaheim home when she was injured. He pleaded guilty this week to charges of felony child abuse, officials said.

An autopsy performed Friday indicated that the child died from a forceful blow to the head, said Anaheim Police Det. Guy Reneau, who is investigating the case. The injuries were not likely to have been caused by a fall, he said.

“We know where it happened, how it happened, but we never know the reasons why,” he said.

The child’s parents and grandparents, who were at her side when she died, asked the same question Friday and said the possibility that Beaman might be charged with murder brings them some peace of mind.

“He needs to pay for what he did,” said Pamela Halliday, the child’s grandmother. “She was so precious.”

Elizabeth will be buried in a family plot at Rose Hills in Whittier, Halliday said. Funeral arrangements are pending.