A 32-year-old man in Tennessee stands accused of fatally injuring his girlfriend’s 4-month-old daughter. Medical professionals determined that the infant sustained severe head injuries consistent with abuse and violent shaking.
Bobby Randall Conner Jr., who previously served time for child neglect and child abuse convictions, now faces one count of murder in connection with the death of Nevaeh Petty, authorities announced.
Conner initially faced a charge of aggravated child abuse. Authorities upgraded the charge after Nevaeh was declared brain-dead following several days on life support at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Officers from the Metro Nashville Police Department responded to a home on 24th Avenue North shortly before 5 p.m. on Sept. 19, responding to a report of an infant in distress, according to a department news release.
First responders discovered Nevaeh unresponsive and transported her to Vanderbilt in “very critical condition.” Medical staff subsequently identified serious internal head injuries, including retinal hemorrhaging. Police classified these injuries as clear indications of abuse.
During an interview, Conner allegedly informed police that he had been “lying in bed with the child while her mother was at work.” He stated that he “got up to use the restroom, and upon his return noticed she was unresponsive.”
Medical personnel maintained Nevaeh on life support for four days before declaring her brain-dead on Wednesday.
Nevaeh’s father, Edward Wagner, addressed Conner’s alleged actions in an interview with local NBC affiliate WSMV, stating, “Based on the results, he shook my daughter.”
Wagner stated that he possessed knowledge of Conner’s criminal history and had warned Nevaeh’s mother, Jessica Petty, against allowing Conner near the infant. Wagner further stated that he raised his concerns repeatedly with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services.
“I told Jessica [Petty], who is the mother, it was not a good idea for him to be around my daughter,” Wagner told WSMV.
Wagner raised his concerns about Conner with the Department of Children’s Services (DCS). The department conducted a welfare check and determined that Nevaeh showed no signs of harm.
“The response from Miss Jenae, a case worker, was that he [Conner] was not a sex offender and was okay to be around his daughter,” Wagner told the station.
Petty offered a similar explanation, stating that she left Nevaeh in Conner’s care because DCS had approved the arrangement.
“I didn’t do anything to my daughter,” she told local CBS affiliate WTVF. “I was okayed by DCS to leave her with him. And if anything DCS should answer why they allowed him to be around my kid.”
When questioned about the risk of leaving Nevaeh with Conner in light of his criminal history, Petty reportedly responded, “No comment.”
Conner received a child abuse conviction in August 2020 and served a four-year sentence. He later received a child neglect conviction stemming from a March 2025 arrest. He received a one-year sentence for that conviction and was released in August 2026, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department.
Authorities detain Conner at the Downtown Detention Center on a $500,000 bond. The jail website indicates that he currently does not qualify for release.
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