Michigan man found guilty in death of 4-year-old boy
(CBS DETROIT) - A man was convicted on Friday in connection with the 2022 death of a 4-year-old boy in Oakland County.
Deangelo Levell Hawkins was charged with first-degree murder and first-degree child abuse.
The felony murder charge carries life imprisonment, and the child abuse charge carries up to life in prison.
Prosecutors say on March 5, 2022, police were called to a home in Wixom, where they found the child not breathing and with a faint pulse. The child was taken to a hospital and was placed on a ventilator. He died five days later.
Medical examiners determined that the child died from blunt-force trauma to the head, which was not consistent with Hawkins' statement that the child fell, according to a press release.
"Crimes involving children are particularly horrific," Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a written statement. "Our kids deserve to be safe and protected. Those who perpetrate violence against children will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The jury's verdict today means justice for the victim and his family, and makes our community safer."
The prosecutor's office says Hawkins will remain in jail until his sentencing hearing on Dec. 18.