An Alabama father has pleaded guilty in the death of his daughter, who had more than 50 signs of trauma covering her body and whose head had been shaved.

Nikilas DiMaso, 25, entered his guilty plea Thursday in Etowah County in the 2021 death of 3-year-old Aydah DiMaso. He pleaded guilty to capital murder and conspiracy to commit child abuse, court records show.

He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

“We can honestly say that this outcome brings us immense relief and comfort, knowing that he will spend the rest of his life behind bars, haunted by the reality of what he has done,’’ said Aydah’s grandmother, Shundra Powe Davis. “We are thankful that …we were able to bring some semblance of closure to part of Aydah’s case.”

“These have been a long three years, and every moment reminds us of the love that was taken away from us,’’ Davis said.

Aydah’s stepmother, 33-year-old Haley Dee Metz, is charged with aggravated child abuse and conspiracy to commit aggravated child abuse.

Metz’s trial is set for later this year.

“The fight is not over, but just as God delivered the best possible outcome in this case, we have faith that He will do the same for the next,’’ Davis said.

According to charging documents, Aydah was killed with DiMaso’s “hands and/or fists” in October 2021.

She was found unresponsive after family members asked police to go to the DiMaso home on Crestview Drive Monday that afternoon for a welfare check.

Family said DiMaso got custody of Aydah less than eight months before her death, despite her maternal grandparents’ fight to have her in their care.

Attorneys for Aydah’s family filed a lawsuit last year against the Alabama Department of Human Resources and individual caseworkers for their alleged roles in the girl’s death.

The lawsuit, filed by Birmingham attorneys Tommy James of Tommy James Law and Jeremy Knowles of Morris Haynes, alleges multiple failures by DHR and caseworkers to protect Aydah from ongoing abuse and neglect.

The suit alleges systematic failings and neglect that allowed the young child to remain in a severely harmful environment despite clear indications she was in danger.

“This case represents an egregious failure of the system that is supposed to protect our most vulnerable children,” James said.

“Aydah’s death could and should have been prevented. We are seeking justice for Aydah and accountability for those whose conduct resulted in her tragic death.”

“Aydah was a sweet soul with an infectious giggle, loved deeply by her grandparents who had been fighting for custody of her,’’ according to a 2021 GoFundMe. “The system let her down, and so sadly, this tragedy was utterly preventable.”