Houma man charged with baby’s death

A 21-year-old Houma man was arrested and charged with one count of second-degree murder after allegedly killing a 14-month-old baby that he was babysitting, Saturday night.

Preston Morris, of 142 Gladys Street in Houma, placed a 9-1-1 call at 9:53 p.m. saying that he found 14-month-old Christian Boudreaux unresponsive in his crib. When investigators and medical personnel arrived, Boudreaux was dead.

Reports say that when questioned by Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives, Morris admitted to smothering the child several hours before placing the 9-1-1 call. According to investigators, Morris said the child refused to sleep.

Morris, a friend of the Boudreaux family, was left to baby-sit the victim and his four siblings. Morris had been living with the Boudreaux’s for less than a year.

He was arrested and booked at the Terrebonne Parish Criminal Justice complex and is being held on a $300,000 bond.

He has one previous arrest, in 2006, for contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

An autopsy was conducted at the Jefferson Parish Forensic Center.

Houma man charged with baby’s death