Dad who "allegedly" beat child given bond (Homestead, Florida)

Dad LEE WILLIE DEJESUS has been jailed after "allegedly" beating his 2-year-old son while wearing boxing gloves. Daddy was babysitting while Mom was working. Isn't that how it always works....

http://cbs4.com/local/lee.dejesus.arrest.2.1841933.html

Aug 4, 2010 11:48 am US/Eastern
Father Who Allegedly Beat Child Given $75,000 Bond
Tim Kephart

A Miami-Dade man remains behind bars while authorities sort out the condition of a 2-year-old child who was allegedly beaten by his father who was wearing boxing gloves.

Lee Willie DeJesus, 23, is charged with one count of child neglect and one count of aggravated child abuse.

He was given a bond of $75,000, but the judge said that the bond would be revisited once it's determined if the child is still alive.

Confusion over the child's condition sprang up Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, the child's aunt, Raquel Dejesus told CBS4's David Sutta the child had died at 4:34 p.m. and the child's organs had been donated.

"Just starting to enjoy his little life, but unfortunately he's gone," said the boy's aunt, Raquel DeJesus, "and we wont' have the chance to see him grow anymore, but you know, that's how life is."

But, Wednesday morning, when DeJesus appeared in court; his charges weren't upgraded, which confused reporters.

CBS4's Tiffani Helberg spoke with the aunt late Wednesday morning and the aunt now said she's not sure if the child is alive or dead.

According to Miami-Dade Police, Homestead Police responded to the 2-year-old's house just after 10:30 p.m. Monday night. Police said DeJesus had called police after he had returned home and found the 2-year-old unresponsive on the bed.

DeJesus said his 2-year-old son had bruising on its body and that the child must have been beaten by an unidentified babysitter that was hired by the child's biological mother, according to Miami-Dade Police.

The child was taken to the hospital and had surgery for a subdural hematoma and a subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Police then took DeJesus to the Homicide Bureau Office where he admitted under questioning that he lied about a babysitter being with the victim, police said. Instead, DeJesus said he was watching the boy while the mother worked.

Police said DeJesus told them he was teaching his son to box. DeJesus allegedly put on 16 oz. boxing gloves and punched the the child fifteen times in the face, head, torso, and shoulders.

Police said the boxing lasted approximately 15 minutes and DeJesus reportedly told detectives the child hit his head on the bedroom wall and the tile floor after he was knocked off the bed where the two were boxing.

Miami-Dade Police said DeJesus saw the child become unresponsive and saw the child might be having a seizure. Police said DeJesus didn't call for medical help for between 30 minutes to 1 hour and only called 911 after the child's lips became blue.

DeJesus's mother, Maria, didn't know all the circumstance but called the news, "a nightmare."