ODESSA, TX – Parents of an 8-year-old Texas girl are facing murder charges after forcing the child to jump on a hot trampoline without food or water in temperatures above 100 degrees. Odessa Police have made two arrests in connection to a capital murder investigation. Daniel Schwarz, 44 years of age and Ashley Schwarz, 34 years of age, were both charged today with capital murder. The charges were announced for the summertime incident, today.
According to a police report, on August 29, 2020, Odessa Police responded to the 4300 block of Locust Avenue in reference to a medical call. Upon arrival, officers observed an 8-year-old female, who was later pronounced deceased on scene.
Investigation revealed that the 8-year-old child had been punished and was not allowed to eat breakfast and was required to jump on the trampoline without stopping for an extended period of time. Further investigation revealed that the 8-year-old child was not allowed to drink any water because she was not jumping.
A search warrant was later obtained and the temperature of the trampoline read to be approximately 110 degrees and the ground was approximately 150 degrees. On October 8, 2020, the Odessa Police Department received the final autopsy report, which listed the manner of death as a homicide and the cause of death to be dehydration.
Based on the facts and circumstances presented during the investigation, capital murder warrants were obtained for both Daniel Schwarz and Ashley Schwarz, who were charged and arrested accordingly and transported to the Ector County Law Enforcement Center.