A Brewton man has been charged with capital murder after law enforcement officials said a toddler in his care died of blunt force trauma so severe it damaged the girl’s internal organs.

Homer Herbert II of Spears Circle, in the Boykin community, was indicted by a grand jury Monday in connection with the death of 2-year-old Intrina Heaven Johnson. He was held without bond.

District Attorney Steve Billy said the girl’s death was a “horrible crime.”

“The medical examiner said it would have taken a tremendous amount of force to inflict internal injuries,” Billy said.

According to the indictment, Herbert, “did intentionally cause the death of Intrina Heaven Johnson … (by) inflicting multiple blunt force injuries.”

The capital charge was a result of the age of the child, Escambia County sheriff’s officials said.

The girl’s mother was a neighbor of Herbert’s and had left the child in his care last week.

The child spent the night on Wednesday night at the house, and the injuries were apparently inflicted on Thursday morning, Billy said.

“That is consistent with the medical examiner’s timeframe,” he said.

EMTs responded to a 911 call and tried to revive the toddler, who died on the way to the hospital, Billy said.

“It would have been a painful death,” he said.

Billy could not speculate on a motive for the crime.