Dad takes baby out of SUV and runs him over, FL cops say. He pleads guilty
A dad got out of his car and placed his baby on the ground after arguing with his son’s mom, then he ran the baby over, killing him, Florida authorities said.
Justin Golden, 20, has now pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter following the death of his 8-month-old son, Pablo Golden, according to Duval County court records.
McClatchy News reached out to his attorney for comment Sept. 3 but did not immediately receive a response.
Golden was driving back from Walmart with his son and the baby’s mom on Jan. 25 when an argument broke out over money and baby wipes, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office wrote in an arrest report.
The child’s mom told investigators she wanted to get out of the GMC Terrain when Golden stopped at a busy intersection, police said.
A witness in the car behind the couple said after the woman got out of the SUV, the driver got out himself carrying what initially looked like a trash bag, according to the report.
The witness recalled that the man placed the bundle on the ground and drove off slowly, running it over with a back tire, detectives said.
When the witness realized the bundle was a child, she called 911 while following Golden until law enforcement arrived and took him into custody, according to police.
The child’s mom told investigators as she walked away from the SUV, she heard screaming and turned around to see her child had been run over, and the SUV was gone, the report says.
The baby died at a hospital, according to the sheriff’s office.
Golden told detectives that after the mother of his child got out of the car, he put the baby on the ground because “he did not want to be responsible for the child, nor accused of anything with the child,” investigators wrote in the report.
He was charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and vehicular homicide, McClatchy News previously reported.
His sentencing is set for Nov. 13.
This story was originally published September 3, 2025 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Dad takes baby out of SUV and runs him over, FL cops say. He pleads guilty."