TASHAUD THOMPSON - 2 yo (2010)/ Charged: Grandmother's BF; Eric Dennis, aka Eric Johnson - Clairton PA

Clairton PA ---- A man was taken
into custody after a 2-year-old boy's death, which has been ruled a homicide.
Tashaud Thompson died of blunt force trauma to the head.



The boy was taken to Children’s Hospital on Tuesday night. He died there
Wednesday night.
Eric Johnson, the boyfriend of the toddler's grandmother,
was taken into custody Friday. Police have not released details on what charges
could be filed.
Thompson's aunt said the family is shocked and
wants answers.
"He was about to turn 3," said Latoya Worthy. "He should
have had a better life."
Worthy said the child and his younger brother were being
watched by his grandmother and his grandmother's boyfriend. Worthy said the
grandmother went out to do errands and when she returned, she found Thompson
lying on the couch.
"She went to him and said 'Grandma, you got some pizza?'
She flipped him over and saw contusions and bumps on his head. She was trying to
wake him but he wasn't waking up," Worthy said.
The grandmother called for help from her North Fourth
Street home in Clairton. Thompson was rushed to the hospital in critical
condition. Worthy said doctors told the family there was no hope.
"We're thinking we're going to the hospital to possibly
get stitches, then we're hearing about brain damage and death," Worthy said.
Whether the child's injuries were accidental or
intentional was the initial focus of the investigation, police said.

Clariton grandfather ordered to stand trial in toddler's death
By Bobby Kerlik
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, May 29, 2010

A Clairton grandmother said Friday after a court hearing she thinks
her husband is innocent of charges that he killed her 2-year-old
grandson.

"I want to know the truth, too. Let's find out what really happened,"
Shelly Worthy said after a preliminary hearing in Pittsburgh Municipal
Court for her husband, Eric Dennis. "No, I don't think my husband hurt
(my grandson)."

District Judge Richard Opiela ordered Dennis, 42, to stand trial on
charges of criminal homicide and endangering the welfare of children in
connection with the death of Tashaud Thompson. Worthy testified she left
the toddler in the care of Dennis on two occasions March 23 while she
ran errands.

When she returned, the boy was laying on the couch making a snoring
sound. A patch of his hair was missing, he had marks on his face, and he
was limp, she said.

"His eyes were already fixed and dilated," Worthy testified. "I kept
asking Eric, 'What happened to him?' He said, 'I don't know. I don't
know. I was asleep.'"

Dennis' attorney Scott Westcott said his client doesn't know what
happened to the boy and characterized it as "some type of accident."

"He's dealing with this tragedy," Westcott said. "Shelly Worthy allowed him to baby-sit all the time."

Freddie Reco Thompson, who was in Florida when his son died, doesn't believe Dennis' story.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out," Thompson said. "It's clear he touched my kid in the wrong way."

Tashaud was taken to Children's Hospital in Lawrenceville, where
doctors determined that he had suffered a severe brain injury. After
Tashaud died, an autopsy showed that he suffered significant facial
bruises and severe bleeding in the brain and that a tuft of hair had
been pulled from his scalp, according to a police affidavit.

Dennis was interviewed by Allegheny County homicide detectives and
repeatedly denied that the child was injured, before later saying
Tashaud had been hurt in a fall. He told detectives that he was asleep
when the boy was hurt and that he left the children alone in a truck
with a friend who drove him to a store, according to the affidavit.http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_683565.html

Eric L. Johnson charged.

Man charged in death of 2-year-old

March 26, 2010 8:00 PM
By Moriah Balingit; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The man who was caring for a 2-year-old Tashaud Thompson when the boy suffered fatal head injuries was charged today in his death.

Eric L. Johnson, also known as Eric Dennis, was arrested today by county police. He is charged with criminal homicide and endangering the welfare of a child.

Tuesday night, Mr. Johnson was caring for Tashaud, of the Hill District, and his younger brother, at a home on North Fourth Street in Clairton when Tashaud suffered head injuries. County police were called to the home that night and said the injuries were consistent with abuse.

He died the following day at UPMC Children's Hospital of blunt force trauma to the head, the medical examiner said.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/breaking/2010/03/26/Man-charged-in-death-of-2-year-old/stories/201003260163#ixzz2w31fYuTl

Clairton Man Gets 22-44 Years In 2-Year-Old's Beating Death
Tashaud 'Trey' Thompson Suffered Head, Face Injuries

UPDATED 1:29 PM EST Feb 01, 2012

CLAIRTON, Pa. —A Clairton man convicted in the beating death of his wife's 2-year-old grandson was sentenced Wednesday to 22 to 44 years in prison.

Eric Dennis, 44, was convicted last year of third-degree murder in the death of Tashaud Thompson in March 2010.

Dennis, also known as Eric Johnson, was watching Thompson when the boy suffered injuries to his head and face, police said.

He was taken to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, where he died a day later.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death a homicide and said it was the result of blunt force trauma.

According to the criminal complaint, Dennis was baby-sitting Thompson and his 18-month-old brother while their grandmother was out running errands. The criminal complaint said she returned home and was unable to wake Thompson.

Read more: http://www.wtae.com/Clairton-Man-Gets-22-44-Years-In-2-Year-Old-s-Beating-Death/12281126#ixzz2w325A4hl