Court docs: Man charged with murder after setting fire that killed baby

SHAWNEE, Kan. (KCTV) - UPDATE: A man has been charged in connection with the death of a baby and house fire in Shawnee that happened over the weekend.

According to court documents, Nicholas A. Ecker was charged Monday with first-degree murder and aggravated arson.

The court documents state that the charges are in connection with the Shawnee fatal house fire from early Sunday morning on West 69th Terrace, which led to the death of a child born in 2020.

The boy’s mother posted pictures and videos of the child Monday on social media, saying the family would be setting up a GoFundMe account at some point. On her Facebook, she identifies the man charged as the baby’s father.

Shawnee police have taken one person into custody in the Sunday morning house fire that killed a baby.

The Shawnee Police Department and Shawnee Fire Department are conducting a joint investigation into the fire. Crews responded around 1 a.m. early Sunday morning to the home on West 69th Terrace, just off of Larsen Lane.

The house was fully engulfed in flames, and crews ended up pulling a dead infant from the home. There were no other injuries reported in the fire.

Authorities did not elaborate Monday morning on their update other than to say one person was taken into custody.

Stay with KCTV5 News for more on this developing story.

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