Gerard Dante Coger and Janaya Hobson: Indiana couple arrested for allegedly killing 1-month-old daughter

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

CHICAGO, INDIANA: A mother and father in Indiana have been arrested for allegedly killing their 1-month-old daughter, violently beating and shaking the newborn, and then not seeking medical attention for nearly a week as the victim slowly died in the home.

21-year-old Gerard Dante Coger and 19-year-old Janaya Kimberly Hobson were taken into custody last week and charged with a spate of felonies, according to court records obtained by Law&Crime.

These counts included two instances of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, three instances of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, and depriving a dependent of necessary support in the killing of Royal Coger.

The newborn suffered from head trauma

According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Chicago Tribune, the couple showed up at Methodist Hospital’s Northlake campus on December 15 carrying young Royal who “appeared to have been suffering from abusive head trauma.”

To get to the facility, the couple and the infant had to walk roughly a mile. On December 18, the child passed away from her wounds and was declared deceased. The child's questionable injuries were reported to the Gary, Indiana Police Department by a caseworker with the Indiana Department of Child Services.

The pair reportedly reacted by staring back at the doctor "like a deer in headlights," according to the Tribune, when the doctor initially met with Coger and Hobson on December 15 and informed them that the baby was probably going to die since she had been brutally agitated.

As the conversation continued, the doctor noted it was Coger who “did most of the talking” and described Hobson as appearing “flat.” She said, “Neither were angry” and both denied ever shaking Royal.

In a follow-up interview with police detectives, Coger reportedly said that Royal on December 4 fell out of a baby carrier and struck her head on concrete, resulting in a “grapefruit-sized” bump that he covered with a hat.

Royal Coger ‘was dead anyways'

According to reports, Coger decided not to inform Hobson about the fall and to wait an additional 11 days until Royal's planned doctor's appointment. Royal cried more and ate less after the fall.

The Times of Northwest Indiana reported that Coger allegedly confessed that on December 12, he became so irritated with his daughter's crying that he grabbed the infant and shook her violently, "asking Royal Coger why she was crying as he did so," as authorities persisted in questioning him about how Royal sustained her fatal injuries.

But according to reports, Hobson denied knowing that Royal had been hurt when she struck her head on the sink in late November.

The parents gave varied explanations to the authorities when they were questioned about why they had chosen to walk to the hospital rather than use 911.

Per the Tribune, Coger said they decided to walk because they thought it would be the fastest way to get Royal to the hospital. However, Hobson reportedly told detectives that “both she and Gerard Coger decided not to call 911 because the Police and Fire Department would ask too many questions and Royal Coger was dead anyways."

Coger and Hobson are both being held in the Lake County Jail. Coger is being held without bond while Hobson’s bond was set at $100,000. They are scheduled to appear in court again on January 2, 2024, before Judge Samuel L Cappas.