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Court documents reveal toddler suffered severe injuries

Posted at 7:20 PM, Apr 26, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-26 21:20:20-04

Court documents are revealing new details about the brutal death of 3-year-old Bella Ritch in Colorado Springs.

The toddler died after she was hospitalized on October 2, 2017. Police responded to an unresponsive child at a home in the 3700 block of Ensenada Drive. In the court documents, detectives learned Bella was covered in bruises and had been vomiting for several days before she was taken to the hospital.

According to the affidavit, in a follow up interview the doctor who operated on Bella is quoted as telling detectives, "This is the worst injury I’ve seen caused by a person."

Another doctor is quoted as saying the injury was consistent with, "definite child abuse." Bella suffered bruising to her head, chest, neck, stomach, thighs and legs. The coroner determined she died as a result of blunt force trauma.

Her mother’s boyfriend, 28-year-old David Lake, was arrested on Tuesday, April 24 and charged with first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death.

Police said he was found by the CSPD Tactical Enforcement Unit in the area of East Fountain Boulevard and South Academy Boulevard.

He will be in court in May.