New details are emerging in the homicide case involving a young toddler who died after being found unresponsive at a motel in Montville, New Jersey.
On April 10, 2015, Montville police dispatched officers to the Knights Inn in Montville New Jersey after receiving a 911 call from the victim’s mother and her boyfriend. When police officers got to the scene, they found that the three-year-old victim was severely bruised, soaking wet, and not breathing. The victim’s mom and her boyfriend reportedly told police that the boy needed medical attention because he choked on food.
Additionally, police officers reportedly noticed that the victim’s mother had suffered a physical assault that resulted in bruises on her face and a black eye.
The victim was rushed to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson NJ, where doctors worked to stabilize him. Tragically, just a few days after being hospitalized, the boy was taken off life support and pronounced dead by doctors.
The 29-year-old suspect was initially placed under arrest and charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child. After the victim died, the suspect was charged with murder.
According to authorities, it was clear to law enforcement that the victim did not suffer his injuries as a result of choking on food. Instead, said police, it was obvious “that an assault had occurred.” Medical examiners indicated that the child died due to blunt force trauma to the head.
The suspect recently appeared in Morris County Superior Court, located in Morristown NJ, for a pretrial hearing in the murder case.
It is expected that the judge will look at a videotaped interview of the suspect conducted by Montville detectives and Morris County Prosecutor’s Office detectives. The judge will also decide whether Morris County NJ prosecutors can use a recording of the suspect’s 911 call to police.
For more information about this case, check out the DailyRecord.com article, “Battered Toddler Found in Montville after 911 Call.”
