Natalie Emami

Natalie Emami, a five-month-old White female, was a beautiful baby who was adored by those who knew her. In her tragically short life, she was remembered as a precious little girl whose life was just beginning. Though her time was brief, her story is one that left a lasting mark on her community in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

On the evening of February 3, 2009, a call was placed to emergency services from a residence. First responders arrived around 7 p.m. and found Natalie unresponsive. She was rushed by ambulance to Integris Baptist Medical Center, where the medical team uncovered a devastating pattern of injuries. Doctors found that the infant had suffered multiple brain bleeds and retinal hemorrhages. They also noted bruises in various stages of healing on her face. The medical professionals concluded that Natalie’s severe head trauma was consistent with having been violently shaken.

At the hospital, Natalie showed no brain activity and was placed on a ventilator. For two days, she fought for her life, but her injuries were too severe. On the afternoon of February 5, 2009, Natalie passed away. In an act of profound generosity amidst their grief, her family made the decision for Natalie to become an organ donor, allowing her to give the gift of life to others.

The Oklahoma City Police Department investigation quickly focused on the person who was alone with Natalie when she sustained her fatal injuries: her 24-year-old biological father, Jason Scott Day. Prosecutors stated that Day was with his daughter inside an RV when he shook her. Day told police that he had run inside the RV and found Natalie was not breathing, at which point he attempted CPR. Hospital workers, however, alerted police due to the nature of the baby's injuries. Day was arrested and initially held on a complaint of child abuse.

Following Natalie's death, the charge against Jason Scott Day was upgraded to first-degree murder by child abuse. The case revealed a troubling history. A report from the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth, released after Natalie's death, showed that the Department of Human Services had received multiple reports concerning her welfare in the months before she died. One report from October 2008, when Natalie was seven weeks old, alleged substance abuse in the home and that the home lacked utilities. Another report in November 2008 stated the two-month-old had not seen a physician since birth and was living in a home without electricity.

In February 2012, Jason Scott Day, then 27, stood trial in an Oklahoma County courtroom. Though his attorney asked for mercy, arguing there was still doubt as to his client's guilt, the prosecution presented evidence from medical experts who testified that Natalie’s death was the result of abusive head trauma. They argued that the baby would have become unresponsive almost immediately after being injured, during the time she was solely in her father's care. Day did not make any statements during his sentencing hearing, and his family, who was present, showed no emotion.

The jury found Jason Scott Day guilty of the first-degree murder of his daughter. The court sentenced him to life in prison. Under the terms of his sentence, he is required to serve 85 percent of the term before becoming eligible for parole consideration. Day later appealed his conviction, arguing against the admissibility of the state's expert medical testimony, among other points. In June 2013, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed his conviction and sentence. A subsequent petition for rehearing was denied in September 2013, and a final petition to the U.S. Supreme Court was denied in 2014, solidifying the judgment against him. The case has remained closed since.