Denver man accused of killing 2-year-old denied bail in court

The man accused of killing his girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter was frequently heard yelling at the child and hitting her by other people who lived in the home, according to court documents.

Nicolas John Stout, 38, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death, both felonies, according to court records. He was denied bail during a Tuesday morning hearing and remained in custody at the Denver Downtown Detention Center, according to jail records.

Denver police officers responded to reports of an unresponsive child in the 100 block of Vrain Street at about 5:30 a.m. Sunday. When they arrived, they found a man attempting CPR on a 2-year-old girl, according to Stout’s arrest affidavit.

That man was Stout’s brother, according to the affidavit. Paramedics took the girl — identified in the arrest affidavit as Valkyrie Erickson — to the hospital, where she was declared dead at 6:03 a.m. Sunday.

Officers found bloody towels and wipes in a trash can during a search of the house, police wrote in the affidavit. A large, bloody handprint was also seen on the wall in the bedroom.

Stout, his brother and his girlfriend, Valkyrie’s mother, were all at the house when first responders arrived. The trio told investigators that Valkyrie, who Stout described as a “daredevil” to police, had fallen the night before while jumping on the bed.

Valkyrie fell between the bed and the wall while jumping, the mother told officers. The child had injuries on her mouth and bruising on her head and face that the mother believed to be from the fall.

Stout said he put his arm out to catch her and stop her from jumping off the bed, but she hit her head on the nightstand in the process, police said in the affidavit. When confronted with the bloody wipes and the handprint on the wall, Stout claimed the baby bit herself on the lip and bled when she fell, according to the document.

The man also told investigators that he woke up late Saturday night, close to midnight, and went to the store to get cigarettes, according to the affidavit. He said he noticed Valkyrie was crying and fussing when he returned, but added that she was able to go back to sleep, so he went back to bed.

One of four other people living in the home contradicted Stout’s story, telling investigators they heard smacking sounds and Stout screaming at Valkyrie between 11 p.m. Saturday and 1 a.m. Sunday, police wrote in the affidavit. Shortly after, the toddler stopped crying and was quiet the rest of the night.

Valkyrie would not wake up Sunday morning, according to the affidavit. That’s when Stout’s brother started CPR while Stout and Valkyrie’s mother called 911.

Another resident, who had been living in the house for about a week, told officers that he frequently heard Stout yelling at the child and slapping noises coming from the bedroom where Stout, Valkyrie and Valkyrie’s mother slept. He told officers he only heard noises and never actually saw anyone strike the child.

Stout yelled at Valkyrie about going to the bathroom several times on Saturday and smacked the girl at least twice, the mother told police. She also heard sounds that she thought were smacks while she was not in the same room as Stout and Valkyrie, but the man denied hitting the child at those times, she said.