DeSHAWN HARRIS - 5 yo / Accused: Mother; Lashay Patterson and boyfriend; Christian Patrick - North Philadelphia PA

Police: 'Suspicious' child death in N. Phila.

Saturday, December 01, 2012

NORTH PHILADELPHIA - December 1, 2012 (WPVI) -- A 5-year-old boy was found unresponsive in a North Philadelphia apartment and police are investigating it as a 'suspicious' death.

It all happened around 1:00 Saturday morning at the West Poplar Apartments on the 600 block of North 13th Street.

Medics arrived on the scene and found the boy unresponsive inside one of the apartments.

The child was taken to Hahnemann Hospital in cardiac arrest and was later pronounced dead.

Hospital officials told police they noticed bruises and what appeared to be cigarette burns on the child's chest.

Police are considering the boy's death 'suspicious' and say they won't know more about until an autopsy is performed.

The child's mother and her boyfriend were both brought in for questioning but no charges have been filed.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=8904998

Mom, Boyfriend Charged in Death of 5-Year-Old Boy


A mother and her boyfriend have been charged in the death of her 5-year-old son in the Spring Garden section of the city.

Sunday, Dec 2, 2012 | Updated 12:14 AM EST

A mother and her boyfriend have been charged in the death of her 5-year-old son in North Philadelphia.

Police were called to West Poplar Apartments at 637 North 13th Street shortly after 1 a.m. on Saturday.

Lashay Patterson, 23, told police she found her 5-year-old Dashawn Harris unresponsive. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly before 1:30 a.m.

Investigators discovered burn marks as well as bruises on the young victim and claim he showed signs of physical abuse.

Family members tell NBC10 he lived with Patterson, and her boyfriend, 25-year-old Christian Patrick. They were both taken in by police for questioning. Saturday night, police announced Patterson and Patrick were arrested and charged with murder and other related offenses.

"I'm hurt, crushed," said Francisco Harris, the boy's father. "I want to see justice in this because my son didn't deserve that. I tried to see him and they didn't let me see him. I tried to contact them and she wouldn't let me contact them."

Other family members tell NBC10 they tried repeatedly to see Dashawn as well as his younger brother but the couple repeatedly said no. Dashawn's younger brother is now staying with relatives. They believe he was also being abused.

"Not Lashay, I never would have thought she would do something like that," said the boy's grandmother Grace Fitch. "She was the sweetest person. She really was."

Police say photos of Patterson and Patrick will be released on Monday. An autopsy will be performed on the boy to determine the exact cause of death.

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Police-Investigate-Suspicious-Death-of-5-Year-Old-Child-181666071.html

Police: Mother, boyfriend in custody for death of 5-year-old Dashawn Harris

ALEX WIGGLESWORTH
Published: December 02, 2012 1:43 p.m.
Last modified: December 02, 2012 2:53 p.m.

Police yesterday arrested a North Philadelphia mother and her live-in boyfriend for allegedly killing the woman's five-year-old son.

Lashay Patterson, 23, found her 5-year-old son Dashawn Harris unconscious early Saturday morning inside the home she shared with boyfriend Christian Patrick, 25, on the 600 block of North 13th Street, police said.

The child was rushed by medics to Hahnemann University Hospital, where he died shortly before 1:30 a.m. He suffered burns and bruises to his body, according to investigators.

Patterson and Patrick were arrested on Saturday for their alleged involvement in Dashawn's death. The two were each arraigned around 8 p.m. and charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, endangering the welfare of children, possession of an instrument of crime and reckless endangerment.

Both suspects' preliminary hearings have been scheduled for Dec. 19.

Patrick is no stranger to the court system – he was in March of 2008 found guilty of criminal conspiracy and manufacturing, delivering or possessing drugs with the intent to manufacture or deliver. He was sentenced to two years of probation and a maximum of one year's treatment at a long term residential in-patient substance abuse program, according to court documents.

Patrick the next year pleaded guilty to simple assault, for which he was sentenced to a maximum of 18 months of probation. Bench warrants were issued for Patrick's arrest due to probation violations twice in 2009 and twice in 2010. The court filed multiple delinquency notices in 2011 and in 2012 for Patrick's alleged failure to pay court fees.

http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/comment/article/1157266--police-mother-boyfriend-in-custody-for-death-of-5-year-old-dashawn-harris

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