During interviews with government investigators and prosecutors in January 2012, former Schofield Barracks soldier Naeem J. Williams said he didn’t need to apologize to his 5-year-old daughter, Talia, for what he did to her because he had been apologizing to her every day for six years, according to a recording defense lawyers played Tuesday in U.S. District Court.

"She know(s) everything I would say," Williams said in the recording.

At the time of the interviews, Williams, now 34, was trying to avoid standing trial for capital murder in connection with the beating death of the girl in the family’s military quarters at Wheeler Army Airfield in July 2005. He agreed to give the interviews during plea negotiations. When negotiations failed to yield a plea agreement, the government abided by its conditional promise to not use anything Williams said in the interviews against him in trial.

The case went to trial in March, and last month a federal court jury found Williams guilty of capital murder for killing his daughter through child abuse as well as a second count of capital murder for killing her after months of assault and torture. That jury is now being asked to decide whether Williams should get the death penalty for the offenses or be sentenced to life in prison without possibility for release. The trail’s sentencing phase testimony got underway May 28.

Williams’ recorded statement was a response to a question from Army criminal investigator Albert Hazzard, who had asked what he would like to say to Talia if she was listening.

"(It’s) not like I haven’t apologized to her. Anything that I will say to her in here I have already said to her," Williams said.

Hazzard testified Tuesday that he asked the question because when he first interviewed Williams shortly after the girl’s death on July 16, 2005, Williams declined an offer to write a letter of apology to his daughter to help unburden himself from feelings of guilt.

He said Williams appeared remorseful and regretful in 2012 when he talked about whether he should apologize to his daughter. However, over the course of the two days of interviews, Hazzard said that was the only time Williams expressed any concern for the girl. Otherwise, he said, Williams "expressed concern for himself, (his wife) Delilah and (their daughter) Azrah and wanted to move on."

Hazzard testified in March that during the 2005 interview, Williams appeared focused on himself, Delilah and Azrah. Also, Hazzard said he got the impression from Williams that Talia had been a burden.