17-year-old Utah boy charged with murder in death of toddler he was baby-sitting

A 17-year-old boy — who was baby-sitting his girlfriend’s toddler last week when the child lost consciousness and later died — has been charged as an adult with first-degree felony aggravated murder.

Isaiah Weaver allegedly caused the death of 21-month-old Jaycieion Sanchez, who died at a West Valley City home on Jan. 16 from “blunt force injury,” according to charges filed Tuesday in 3rd District Court.

The child suffered brain trauma indicative of head impacts and “vigorous shaking,” charges state.

There also was bruising all over the child’s head, and linear marks on his lower back, buttocks and thighs consistent with being hit with a hard, thin object. Various injuries were at different stages of healing, charges state.

The dead boy’s 5-year-old brother told police that Weaver had recently disciplined Jaycieion and a 2-year-old brother by spanking them with a clothes hanger that had been heated with a lighter.

Weaver, after giving police a couple of different scenarios for what had happened, “admitted that he had a bad temper” and had spanked Jaycieion and the 2-year-old “too hard” with a hanger on Jan. 15, charges state.

He also admitted hitting Jaycieion in the mouth hard enough bleed.

Weaver also told police he had been throwing Jaycieion into the air for the past couple of days and that the boy had hit his head on the ceiling and had hit his head on the floor, charges state.

About 12:15 p.m. Jan. 16, West Valley City police were called to the home, near 4600 South and 2900 West, to find Jaycieion unconscious. An hour later, he was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Inside the home, police found fresh droplets of blood on the walls, ceiling and many pieces of furniture in the bedroom shared by Weaver and Jaycieion’s mother, charges state.

The mother, who started work at 7 a.m. that day, said Weaver called her at about noon to say Jaycieion was not breathing. She told Weaver to call 911 and went home, charges state.

The mother told police she had been dating Weaver, of Magna, for about 8 months and that he had been staying at her apartment for a month.

About two weeks before Jaycieion’s death, Weaver stopped working and had been watching the children while she works, the mother told police.

The mother said Weaver had seemed jealous of her relationship with Jaycieion, and that she had seen him spank Jaycieion on the bare buttock, kick the child in the back and hit him in the mouth, charges state.

In addition to the murder charge, Weaver is charged with two counts of second-degree felony counts of child abuse in connection with injuries to Jaycieion and the 2-year-old.

Weaver was arrested and booked into a juvenile detention center, but prosecutors on Wednesday filed a motion to have him moved to the adult jail.

A hearing is set for Jan. 30 to discuss the transfer request.

from The Salt Lake Tribune http://ift.tt/2n9P3xm