An Ahwatukee man accused of fatally beating his 3-year-old stepdaughter in 2011 has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and child abuse.
Maricopa County Superior Court officials say Corey Daniels had a change of plea hearing Friday.
He's scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 17.
Authorities say Daniels was taking care of the child while his wife was at work on Oct. 27, 2011, and he allegedly beat the girl for not eating her dinner and talking back to him.
The girl died of her injuries the following day.
Authorities say an autopsy showed the child had multiple blunt-force trauma injuries and brain swelling.
The girl's mother was arrested in November 2011 after police found pictures on her cell phone of the child's injuries from early September to mid-October of that year.
