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By
D.C. Witness Staff
- June 8, 2016
Court
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Homicides
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Suspects
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No further criminal charges will be placed against Jerome Ortiz Drayton, 23, in relation to the death of his son, Javion Drayton, the Washington Post reported.
It is believed that the child died due to injuries suffered when he was 4 months old and was vigorously shaken by Drayton. According to the Washington Post, the father pleaded guilty in 2012 to committing cruelty to children after Javion was found not breathing at a residence in the 1500 block of Tubman Rd, SE.
In 2012 prosecutors agreed to a plea deal to forgo additional charges against Drayton if Javion died of his injuries. Drayton was only charged with cruelty to children and was given a one-year suspended jail sentence along with three years probation, which he has completed.
According to the post’s article, this decision was made after prosecutors took into account Drayton’s age, 20 at the time of the incident, his willingness to “accept responsibility” and a statement from Javion’s mother asking for Drayton to receive a second chance.
According to chief spokesman for D.C. police, Dustin Sternbeck, homicide detectives applied for an arrest warrant after Javion’s death but prosecutors declined it.
The Washington Post contacted doctors at Children’s National Medical Center who stated that Javion had experienced internal bleeding in his brain and concluded that he “had suffered a vigorous and repetitive episode of being shaken.” Javion’s death has been ruled a homicide.