Devon Thomas, 22, is charged with murder in the Monday death of Tayveon J. Thomas, and aggravated battery of a pregnant woman in the attack on the boy’s mother, who was eight months pregnant.
He was ordered held without bail in a hearing midday Thursday in Cook County Bond Court before Judge Laura Marie Sullivan.
Tayveon was pronounced dead at Roseland Community Hospital at 1:15 p.m. Monday after his father called 911 from the family’s home in the 12200 block of South Green Street, prosecutors said.
Thomas had punched Tayveon several times in front of his mother on Saturday. When she tried to stop Thomas, he choked her until she started to lose consciousness, Assistant Cook County state’s attorney Holly Grosshans said.
On Sunday, Tayveon had a stomach ache and vomited, and his mother gave him some medicine to treat an upset stomach, prosecutors said.
At the family apartment on Monday, Thomas, who was wearing boots, punched Tayveon multiple times in the chest and torso, then stomped on his legs, arms and body, prosecutors said.
Tayveon’s mother walked into his room to bring him some medicine and tried to stop Thomas, prosecutors said.
Thomas slapped her in the face, knocking her into a wall and causing her to fall to the floor, prosecutors said. Thomas then grabbed her by her ponytail and dragged her to the apartment’s front room.
The two argued in the front room until she went to Tayveon’s room and found him lying unresponsive, face down on his bed, his body against the wall, prosecutors said.
His mother began doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation and chest compressions on Tayveon and called for Thomas, who called 911, prosecutors said.
Thomas took over doing chest compressions on the boy until paramedics arrived. Tayveon was taken to Roseland, where he was pronounced dead.
Within a few hours of Tayveon’s death, his mother began to have contractions and delivered her baby prematurely, prosecutors said.
Thomas was arrested and made a videotaped statement to detectives admitting he punched Tayveon in the chest four times and kicked him once in the stomach.
Signs of abuse on Tayveon included fresh cuts to his face and scalp, interior abdominal bleeding and right and left lung contusions, prosecutors said. He also had an old fracture to the left arm and scars from previous burns on his body, including on his lower abdomen, lower back and buttocks.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office determined Tayveon died from multiple injuries due to child abuse. His death was ruled a homicide.
Thomas’ attorney said her client was engaged to be married to the boy's mother.
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