Florida man kills ex-girlfriend’s toddler daughter with beating so brutal her spine was severed

A disgruntled Florida man killed his ex-girlfriend’s toddler daughter a week after she dumped him — and will now spend the rest of his natural life in prison.

Travis Ray Thompson beat 2-year-old Jacklyn Schwingel so badly on May 2, 2022, her spine was severed. She also suffered from extensive internal bleeding, prosecutors said in a statement.

A judge sentenced Thompson, 27, to life behind bars after jurors deliberated his fate for just two hours Wednesday, finding him guilty of first-degree murder.

Travis Ray Thompson was sentenced to life in prison. Marion County Sheriff's Office

Jacklyn’s mother left the girl in Thompson’s care that morning so she could go to work.

She had ended their relationship a week earlier, prosecutors said.

Thompson called the mother 25 minutes after she’d left, and said something was wrong with Jacklyn.

When she arrived, her baby girl was lifeless and her heart was barely beating, authorities said.

The pair rushed Jacklyn to the hospital, where she died from her injuries.

Jacklyn Schwingel was murdered a week after she dumped Thompson. Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office / Facebook

The doctors who’d treated the child told investigators they suspected Jacklyn had been abused.

Thompson told detectives he was in a different room when he heard a loud noise and then found the little girl unresponsive.

The Medical Examiner’s Office determined Thompson gradually bent the girl backwards until her spine snapped.

“This monster stole the life of an innocent child, and today, the justice system made sure he will never walk free again,” said Bill Gladson, State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit. “Life in prison is too good for this kind of evil.”