Inset: Ryan Greenwood and his wife Tanya Greenwood (Facebook). Background: Ryan Greenwood in court for his sentencing after he was found guilty of shaking his 4-month-old daughter to death (KOLN/YouTube).
A Nebraska father who posted "pro dad" tips online for new parents while preaching about the Bible and "repentance" is headed to prison for decades after shaking his 4-month-old daughter to death.
Ryan Greenwood, 36, was sentenced last Friday to serve 65 to 80 years in prison for intentional child abuse resulting in death after he was found guilty in March following a five-day trial, according to local CBS affiliate KOLN.
Greenwood and his wife, Tanya Greenwood, were both charged with child abuse resulting in the death of their baby on Aug. 14, 2025. Tanya Greenwood was found not competent to stand trial, with prosecutors saying she could become competent at some point in the future. She is due to appear for a competency review hearing on Thursday, May 14.
Court documents obtained by KOLN and the Lincoln Journal Star said Ryan Greenwood admitted to "playing rough" and causing his daughter to cry uncontrollably. The child was put to bed with a bottle, but she failed to wake up at her usual time, according to Tanya Greenwood. The mom told police she came home from grocery shopping earlier in the day to what she described as "the worst cry I had ever heard."
Ryan Greenwood claimed their daughter was "perfectly fine" when he checked on her later that night around 11 p.m., KOLN reported. The baby was unresponsive and cold to the touch when the dad found her the next day.
Ryan Greenwood allegedly performed CPR on the child before he contacted his wife.
Tanya Greenwood told police she wanted to take their child to a medical center for help, but Ryan Greenwood told her not to do it, according to prosecutors. An autopsy later revealed that the infant died from a traumatic brain injury and suffered other injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome.
An abuse specialist at a local children's hospital concluded that the injuries were non-accidental and immediate medical attention could have improved the infant's chances of survival, per KOLN.
Tanya Greenwood allegedly told police she saw Ryan Greenwood shake their daughter on at least one occasion and squeeze her leg tightly on another. The couple's internet search history allegedly shows Tanya Greenwood looking up information on shaken baby syndrome after their child died.
On Facebook and YouTube, Ryan Greenwood posted and preached repeatedly about the Bible, Christianity and being a "pro dad."
A video posted roughly a month before he killed his daughter covered "repentance" and "the sorrowful heart," per its description.
"In order to repent, you must be sorrowful of your sins," Ryan Greenwood said. "If you are not sorrowful of your sins, then you are not repenting of your sins. You are not a Christian in anything other than name and not in deed."
Using the hashtag "dadtips," Ryan Greenwood made a "pro dad tip" post on June 30, 2025, saying: "If you're the one who takes care of your infant at night, clean the bottle after they're done eating. Because a clean vessel is ready for its next use. And that's exactly what Jesus Christ does for us on the cross. … So you can trust him that every single time that you make a mistake he will cleanse you from the inside out if you come to him with repentance, asking not just for forgiveness but a way to turn around and change your life."
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