John Jefferson
Left: Brandon Wheatley. Right: Jalesia Offer (Baltimore Police Department).
A mother and her boyfriend in Maryland are behind bars after they allegedly beat her 6-year-old son to death because he took money from her wallet.
Officers from the Baltimore Police Department responded around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday to a home on the 6300 block of Greenspring Avenue for a report of an unresponsive child later identified as Brian Graham. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital where he later died. A medical examiner determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma.
Cops arrested Brandon’s mother Jalesia Offer and her boyfriend Brandon Wheatley, both 34, on charges of child abuse resulting in death and assault. Local NBC affiliate WBAL and ABC affiliate WMAR obtained charging documents that laid out the brutal way young Brian died. The alleged beating reportedly began earlier in the week when Brian took money from her wallet.
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“She smacked Brian and punched him with a closed fist multiple times. And Mr. Wheatley continued the physical discipline after her,” the documents reportedly said.
Offer reportedly told cops she believed some of his bruises may have come from play fighting with his brother. Wheatley said he “play fights” with Brandon and he bruises easily because he has light skin, the affidavit reportedly stated.
On the night of Brandon’s death, Wheatley went to give the boy a bath. A little while later, Offer allegedly said she walked by the bathroom and saw her boyfriend slumped over on the floor and Brandon unresponsive in the tub with scalding hot water. She woke up Wheatley and they retrieved the boy from the tub. The put burn cream on him and did CPR until paramedics arrived, she allegedly said.
Wheatley later told cops the last thing he remembered was Brandon playing with the nozzles before he fell asleep, according to authorities. He claimed to have a medical condition that causes him to fall asleep while sitting down, the affidavit said. The water temperature reportedly reached 128 degrees.
A medical examiner determined the boy’s death to be homicide. He reportedly suffered a lacerated liver, multiple fractured ribs and internal bleeding in the head and torso.
“This is just an extremely tragic and sad story,” said Baltimore Police Det. Nikki Fennoy told reporters.
Cops also reportedly discovered Brandon’s 8-year-old brother had injuries to his face and was unable to move his left arm. Child Protective Services took custody of the boy.
Offer and Wheatley are in jail without bond. They have a court hearing scheduled for Monday.
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