A San Antonio man is being held on a $1 million bond after prosecutors charged him in the death of a 9-month-old earlier this year. The suspect, 31-year-old Rick Artis, appeared in a Bexar County courtroom Monday on a first-degree felony count of injury to a child and remains in custody as the case moves through the local courts, according to KSAT.
Court appearance and evidence
At Monday's hearing, a Bexar County judge set Artis's bond at $1,000,000 and allowed prosecutors to move forward with the injury to a child charge, according to court records. Police say the 9-month-old was found unresponsive in a crib at an apartment in the 6100 block of Ingram Road on Jan. 25 and was pronounced dead at 10:44 a.m. An autopsy later revealed what investigators described as a “significant skull fracture likely caused by blunt force trauma,” as reported by KSAT.
The arrest affidavit also cites cellphone texts and footage from a neighbor's Ring camera that investigators say helped them piece together a timeline for that morning. Those records and related reporting were reviewed by KSAT.
Earlier case connected to 2018 death
Artis is also tied to a separate child-injury case dating back to October 2018, when 17-month-old Lyriq Ogilvie Artis was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead. At that time, the medical examiner ruled Lyriq's death a homicide and listed the cause as “remote blunt head trauma.” Artis was indicted in February 2020, and that earlier case has since seen delays, a dismissal and later reopening, according to KSAT.
What the charge means
Under Texas law, a conviction for injury to a child that intentionally or knowingly causes serious bodily injury can be prosecuted as a first-degree felony. That level of offense carries a punishment range of five to 99 years or life in prison. The exact classification and potential sentence depend on the defendant's mental state and the seriousness of the harm, as outlined in Texas Penal Code §22.04.
Artis was booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on Jan. 29 and remains in custody while prosecutors and investigators continue to review evidence. Court records show the case is active, and prosecutors and the sheriff's office did not immediately provide additional comment.
