A homicide cost was filed Friday towards a person accused of beating his ex-girlfriend’s 5-year-old son to loss of life and leaving the physique inside a dumpster in Panorama Metropolis final week, authorities mentioned.
Brycson Gaddis, 20, was arrested Wednesday and, if convicted, faces a possible sentence of life in jail within the vicious beating loss of life of Elyjiah Hearn, in line with the Los Angeles County district legal professional’s workplace. Prosecutors charged him with homicide and assault on a toddler inflicting loss of life, authorities mentioned.
“That is actually a heartbreaking and horrific case, and our deepest sympathies exit to the younger sufferer’s household,” Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman mentioned in a press release. “We’re dedicated to in search of justice and can guarantee this defendant is held chargeable for his actions.”
Gaddis didn’t enter a plea throughout a quick courtroom look in Van Nuys and is due again in courtroom subsequent month, officers mentioned.
Prosecutors allege Gaddis beat the boy to loss of life within an condominium within the 14500 block of Lanark Avenue on July 11. The boy’s physique was discovered the subsequent day in what prosecutors described as a “industrial car parking zone dumpster.”
A regulation enforcement official beforehand advised The Instances the boy suffered “huge accidents,” together with a damaged jaw, fractured ribs and a lacerated liver. The official spoke on the situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to talk to the media.
Gaddis and the boy’s mom, Kemia Hearn, had dated on and off up to now however Gaddis was not the boy’s father. The sufferer’s grandfather, Troy Hearn Sr., mentioned Gaddis had been stalking his daughter.
“It’s very heartbreaking for him to try this to my 5-year-old grandson,” Hearn Sr. mentioned earlier this week. “I’m figuring out the physique this afternoon. I’m overwhelmed and so indignant that I can’t even clarify it. This man is a nasty man and it’s fortunate that the police has him.”
Gaddis was in police custody greater than as soon as over the previous yr, however he twice averted jury trials that would have despatched him to jail or jail. A warrant for his arrest had been issued three months earlier than the slaying, information present.
Final July, prosecutors charged Gaddis and two others with carjacking and beating somebody with a “steel bar” in Baldwin Park. However the case was dismissed in mid-December when a prosecutor introduced he was “unable to proceed” on the day of Gaddis’ preliminary listening to, in line with courtroom information.
Ricardo Santiago, a spokesman for the L.A. County district legal professional’s workplace, mentioned Friday that the case was dismissed as a result of prosecutors couldn’t discover the victims within the carjacking case on the time of the preliminary listening to.
Gaddis had been in jail for six months on the time, however was ordered launched quickly after.
Six weeks later, Gaddis was arrested by Los Angeles police for repeatedly punching his girlfriend in a Hollywood condominium advanced. The sufferer in that case was not Elyjiah’s mom, information present.
Gaddis was charged with home violence and false imprisonment, however allowed to stay free whereas sporting an digital monitoring gadget. In April, Gaddis failed to look in courtroom for his scheduled trial and a decide issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
A month later, his digital monitoring gadget ran out of energy and he ignored check-in calls from the corporate that issued the gadget, information present. An alert was despatched to the L.A. County Probation Division.
The Los Angeles Metropolis Legal professional’s Workplace referred inquiries to the Los Angeles Police Division, which didn’t reply to a query about what, if any, measures they took to re-capture Gaddis after he ducked his trial date. However given Gaddis had no legal file after the carjacking case was dismissed, it’s unlikely police would have prioritized arresting a defendant who was wished on a misdemeanor bench warrant.
Vicky Waters, a probation division spokeswoman, mentioned Gaddis was “not beneath lively supervision” by the company as a result of his case had not been adjudicated but.
“Probation doesn’t have an enforcement position in these circumstances,” Waters mentioned.
Workers author Summer season Lin contributed to this report.
