Man pleads guilty in 2018 killing of 16-month-old boy

A 37-year-old man pleaded guilty Wednesday in Las Vegas to second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend’s 16-month-old son.

Prosecutors said Antonio Bridges, who was visiting from Georgia with Mark Phillips Jr.’s mother, struck and kicked the boy in early 2018, causing his death.

On the verge of trial, Bridges pleaded guilty through what is known as an Alford plea, which means he admitted only that prosecutors had enough evidence to prove his guilt.

Deputy Public Defender David Westbrook said Bridges maintained his innocence but could have faced life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted by a jury of first-degree murder and other charges, including child abuse.

“As his attorney, I still believe 100 percent in his innocence,” Westbrook said. “He took the deal because he was scared, and I understand why he was scared.”

Under the negotiation with prosecutors, Bridges, a four-time felon in Georgia who was on parole for robbery at the time of Mark’s death, agreed to serve 11 to 31 years behind bars. District Judge Michelle Leavitt is scheduled to sentence Bridges in November.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Hamner said authorities had surveillance video of the boy “perfectly normal and healthy” from an apartment complex in Las Vegas about an hour before Bridges took him to University Medical Center with severe injuries.

Bridges told a doctor that while driving with Mark, he noticed that the child’s “breathing sounded funny.”

Doctors examined the child and noticed a skull fracture, multiple brain bleeds, a lacerated liver, a lung contusion and a spleen injury. The boy died three days later.

“The bottom line is that Mr. Bridges’ story to the doctor literally didn’t add up,” Hamner said after the plea hearing.

When Bridges initially was detained, authorities said, he told police he was the boy’s father. The boy’s father had died previously.

Months after his arrest, Bridges was charged with battery by a prisoner, assault on an officer by a prisoner and possession of a dangerous weapon by an incarcerated person after jail officials found two reinforced shanks in his cell at the Clark County Detention Center.

As part of his plea bargain, prosecutors agreed to drop those charges.

Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.