GRETNA, La. (AP) - Waggaman father arrested in the February beating death of his 14-year-old son has been charged with second-degree murder, while the boy's stepmother faces a charge of cruelty to a juvenile.
The New Orleans Advocate reports Furnell Daniel, the boy's father, was indicted by a grand jury Thursday, and Terri Daniel, his stepmother, was charged through a bill of information filed by Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick's office on Monday.
Fourteen-year-old Jalen Daniel died of injuries caused by head trauma Feb. 8, a few days after his father is accused of beating him with a paddle.
Police said at the time that Furnell Daniel would regularly beat Jalen and his 15-year-old brother for their bad grades.