Toddler abused by father dies after two years of hospitalization (Chicago, Illinois)

Back in 2008, dad ALEXANDER PEARSON was charged in the severe abuse of his infant son, who sufffered multiple fractures and blunt force trauma to the brain. Since then, the child has been on a respirator at a children's rehabilitation center. The baby--now a toddler--has finally died as a result of those initial injuries.

Notice that Mom has been held "responsible" for the abuse, even though Dad confessed to the assault. Moms are just naturally supposed to be able to placate violent daddies, don't ya know. Or in other words, it's always Mom's fault--even when it's not Mom's fault.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-09-05/news/ct-met-abused-toddler-dies-20100905_1_dcfs-officials-long-term-care-hospital-ingalls-memorial-hospital

Abused toddler dies after two years of hospitalization
Child welfare authorities believe he died of injuries
September 05, 2010By Carlos Sadovi and Kristen Mack, Tribune reporters

A 2-year-old boy who was so severely abused that he had to be hospitalized most of his life is believed to have died of those injuries, officials said Sunday.

Alexander Pearson Jr., who was born May 15, 2008, had been hospitalized since August 2008. He was pronounced dead at 7:20 a.m. Saturday in Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, officials said.

An autopsy conducted Sunday on the child's body by the Cook County medical examiner's office was inconclusive. The final determination of the boy's cause and manner of death was "pending further studies," officials said.

Though the autopsy was inconclusive, officials from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services believe that the boy died because of the abuse he sustained earlier, said Kendall Marlowe, a spokesman for the agency.

Alexander had been living at the Children's Habilitation Center, 121 W. 154th St., Harvey, officials said. The facility is a long-term care hospital for infants and children, according to its Web site.

In August 2008, the boy's father, Alexander Pearson, 23, of the 100 block of West 110th Street, Chicago, was charged with aggravated battery of a child, attempted murder with intent to kill and aggravated domestic battery in the case.

According to a 2008 Chicago Tribune story, prosecutors said Pearson repeatedly shook the boy between June 24 and Aug. 17. They alleged that the incident caused multiple fractures to the boy's arms and ribs, and blunt trauma to his head.

Pearson gave police a statement admitting that he shook the child, prosecutors said. The boy had been on a respirator since his hospitalization, and at the time officials did not believe the boy would survive.

Pearson has been in Cook County Jail in lieu of $2 million bail since his arrest and has a Sept. 23 court hearing, court records show. Prosecutors could not say Sunday whether he will face additional charges now that the boy has died.

Marlowe said DCFS officials took custody of the boy Aug. 17, 2008, after they determined the boy had sustained injuries from being shaken.

"This child had been so severely injured that (he) had been in that placement ever since, and just now died from the long-term effects of those injuries," Marlowe said.

Marlowe said that though a DCFS investigation at the time concluded both the boy's mother and father had been responsible for the abuse, the boy's father confessed to shaking the infant. The mother was not charged, according to court records.

Pearson's family said Sunday that it had no comment regarding the death of the toddler. Alexander's mother could not be reached for comment.

Tribune reporter Andrew L. Wang contributed to this report.

csadovi@tribune.com

kmack@tribune.com