TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- An Alabama man has been indicted on a capital murder charge in the death of his girlfriend's 1-year-old son.
News outlets report the indictment against 28-year-old Christopher Cornelilus Pearson was made public Friday. Authorities have said Pearson initially told investigators that Omari Jones-Pearce had been left alone in the bath, implying the child has drowned. However, an autopsy showed the toddler suffered a significant amount of trauma and found no evidence of drowning.
Pearson then said he had been tossing Omari into the air and letting him fall onto the bed, but Omari suddenly stopped moving and blood starting coming out of his mouth. Pearson said he put the boy in the bath to wake him and left for 25 minutes, returning to find him underwater. He was arrested in June on a murder charge.