ELIJAH LaJEUNESS - 3 yo (2011) - Oakland Mills/Columbia MD

COLUMBIA, Md. - Police in Howard County now say a three-year-old boy
was murdered, and they're trying to find out who is responsible.
Early in the morning of April 13th, a 911 call came from an apartment in the
9600 block of Basket Ring Road. The complex is in the Village of Oakland
Mills, not far from Route 29 in Columbia.
When rescue crews arrived they found three-year-old Elijah LaJeuness unconscious, and not
breathing. He later died at the hospital.
At the time police said the death was suspicious, and on Thursday, the medical examiner
announced that it was determined that someone suffocated the boy.
Now the death is being investigated as a homicide. “Oh it's a terrible,
terrible thing. It's just, things that never should happen,” said a
neighbor, Alonso Ticas.
A woman who we’re calling “Anna” because
she didn't want to be identified said she used to babysit for Elijah.
She said he seemed to be having some problems. “He sometimes would get
into a lot of fights with kids but not always. I'm guessing he was just a
regular three-year-old,” she said.
Online court records show the child's parents divorced last year. Police say the 911 call back in
April came from a family member.
Investigators have conducted interviews and gathered evidence, trying to piece together the events
leading to Elijah’s death. “Who was with the child? And who might have
been present in the home at the time. Those are all things that we are
still trying to learn and determine,” said Sherry Llewellyn, a
spokeswoman for the Howard County Police Department.
The former babysitter, Anna, says she doesn't believe the boy's mother could have
had anything to do with his death. “She was really really sweet with him
from what I would see. She had a lot of patience with him,” she said.
But she said she can't say the same thing, about another male relative of
the boy. “He was very abusive with him, and they didn't have a very good relationship,” she said.
Police say they have no suspects, and their investigation into the murder of Elijah LaJeuness is ongoing.

http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/region/howard_county/howard-co.-police-say-boy-was-murdered

An attorney for the mother of Elijah LaJeuness, the Columbia toddler whose April 2011 death is being investigated as a homicide, said “no one believes” she killed her son.

Howard County Deputy District Public Defender Louis Willemin’s comments came during a bail review hearing Monday on separate charges that Joaquinia LaJeuness abused Elijah in 2010.

Joaquinia LaJeuness, 28, is charged with two counts of second-degree child abuse and one count of second-degree assault, as well as contributing to acts and omission for the incidents police said occurred in 2010.

Howard County State's Attorney Colleen McGuinn said during the hearing that while investigating Elijah's death, police learned of new information on which to base the abuse charges.

McGuinn and Howard County police did not give details on that information.

Howard County Circuit Court Judge Richard Bernhardt said during the bail review hearing that “lack of evidence and lack of understanding” of the charges were a factor in his decision to reduce LaJeuness' bond from $250,000 to $25,000.

According to charging documents, Joaquinia LaJeuness is accused of abusing and assaulting Elijah between Nov. 1 and Nov. 3, 2010. She is also accused of hindering a law enforcement investigation between Nov. 9 and Dec. 30, 2010.

Howard County police said Monday that the Department of Social Services received a report on Nov. 3, 2010 that Elijah LaJeuness, then 2, had marks and bruises on his face. A doctor's review said the injuries were not accidental.

Police said there wasn't sufficient information at the time to file charges.

On April 13, Elijah was found not breathing and unresponsive in his Columbia home. The 3-year-old was taken to Howard County General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

In August, Patch published an investigation into the child’s life that showed that the year before he died, many adults, including doctors and social workers, investigated injuries to Elijah, ranging from bruises to his forehead and ears to burns on the tops of his feet.

Police said at the time the abuse allegations were part of the ongoing homicide investigation. There was no word on any charges relating directly to the boy's death.

Willemin and police have said there were two adults present at the time Elijah was found unresponsive: Joaquinia and her boyfriend at the time. Her other child was also present, according to police. That child is now in foster care.

“It is my perception that no one believes Miss LaJeuness caused the death of Elijah LaJeuness, but [they] have not been able to put together a case to charge a different person,” Willemin said during the Monday hearing. “She gave a full statement to the hospital the night of Elijah’s death. Police have sought to further interview her; we have not agreed.”

Howard County police spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn said she could not confirm that information since no charges have been filed in Elijah’s death.

McGuinn argued during the bail hearing that Joaquinia LaJeuness was a flight risk, noting that Howard County police arrested her Friday in Meridian, MI.

LaJeuness told Bernhardt she resides in Columbia and lives alone. She works for a local house-cleaning service, Willemin said.

Willemin said his client's presence in Michigan was “entirely coincidental” and she was there with her boyfriend to pick up a car. The boyfriend was said to be a different man than the one who was present when Elijah was found unresponsive.

Joaquinia LaJeuness’s next court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 19 at 8:30 a.m., where there will be a scheduling conference for future hearings.

http://columbia.patch.com/articles/defense-attorney-no-one-believes-mother-caused-child-s-death