ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. – A man seen fatally beating his 4-month-old son while driving down a highway has been convicted of murder.

The sentencing of 36-year-old Daniel A. Cox of Radcliff is scheduled for Jan. 24.

A Hardin County jury recommended Monday that Cox get life with parole eligibility after 20 years for the death of Jayceon Christie, The News-Enterprise reported (http://bit.ly/2h2rx4k).

Two witnesses testified about calling 911 after seeing a man repeatedly strike something in the back seat of his car on Aug. 6, 2015. Neither said they saw a child, although that is what they suspected.

Cox left the unresponsive infant with the baby’s mother and then drove away. The mother called 911 and the infant died two days later.

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Teresa Logsdon quoted a series of heated text messages Cox had exchanged with the boy’s mother, Kymberlee Chrystie, in the days before the fatal beating. Cox called his son names in the text messages and said it meant little to him whether the child was dead or alive.

Cox changed his explanation for the boy’s injuries multiple times. He initially told investigators he had dropped the infant, then claimed the boy had fallen out of his car seat after the car struck a bump. Later, he said he shook the car seat trying to soothe the crying baby.

“We can’t believe a word this man says,” Logsdon said. “He came in here and says he didn’t hit him, (he) just shook him. … He has zero explanation why his son had bruising to his eyes.”

Defence attorney Eric Bates argued his client was guilty of reckless homicide, not murder.

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This story has been corrected to show that Cox is 36 years old, not 35.

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Information from: The News-Enterprise, http://www.thenewsenterprise.com