A Georgia father was sentenced to 50 years in prison after a Fulton County jury found him guilty of poisoning breast milk for his newborn daughter with antifreeze.
Curtis Jack, who was charged with felony criminal attempt to commit murder and felony first-degree cruelty to children, was found guilty on all counts, the South Fulton Police Department said Thursday evening.
He was sentenced to 50 years in prison with 40 years to serve in custody.
Jack was arrested on Oct. 16, 2020, after his 18-day-old daughter tested positive for ethylene glycol, a chemical often found in automotive antifreeze, while at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta – Scottish Rite Hospital, according to FOX 5 Atlanta at the time.
South Fulton police said the infant was born on Sept. 24, 2020, to Jack and a woman he worked with after he reportedly insisted she terminate the pregnancy. The two had been in an “intimate relationship” since January of that year, police said.
Jack admitted to South Fulton detectives he added antifreeze to bottles of breast milk he picked up on Oct. 1, 2020, from his daughter’s mother, who was still hospitalized after giving birth.
He then took the poisoned bottles to the baby’s grandmother, who was also caring for the woman’s other child while she was in the hospital.
Within 24 hours, the baby girl became critically ill and was suspected of being poisoned, police said.
During Jack’s trial, the baby’s mother and grandmother testified for the state, along with law enforcement officers and medical experts. A demonstration of how easy it was to poison the breast milk was also presented to the court.
Jack was booked into the Fulton County Jail early Friday.