Bail was denied Monday for the man arrested last week and charged with capital murder in the death of a baby.

Matthew Zachary Brown, 23, was arrested on April 4 after an investigation into the death of a 1-year-old child that was in his care.

On March 22, the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office responded to County Road 520 east of Como in regard to an unresponsive male child. 

When deputies and the Lafayette County Fire Department and EMS arrived on scene, life-saving measures were immediately initiated by the first responders.

The child was swiftly transported to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis for further medical attention. He later died at the hospital.

The exact cause of the child’s death has not been released.

Brown is being held at the Lafayette County Detention Center. County Judge Tiffany Kilpatrick held the bond hearing Monday in Oxford.

Assistant District Attorney Steve Jubera told the court that Brown committed felonious child abuse that led to the death of the child and requested that Brown be denied bond. 

Defendants charged with capital crimes may be denied bail when the evidence of guilt is evident or the presumption of guilt is great.

Brown’s court-appointed attorney, Ray Garrett, said that since the state was set to provide testimony from the investigator involved in the case, the presumption of guilt could be evident so he would not be seeking bond at the time.

That does not stop the defendant from pursuing a bond at a later time.

Kilpatrick accepted the agreement and ordered Brown to remain in jail.

A probable cause hearing will be held April 15 to determine if there was a valid basis for the arrest.

A GoFundMe fundraiser is set up to help the baby’s family pay for funeral services and cremation. Search on GoFundMe for the organizer, Kizzy Smith.