Father Charged In Death Of Child Pulled From Lake
CHICAGO (CBS) The father of 14-month-old Dontrell Johnson, the boy whose body was pulled from Lake Michigan earlier this week, has been charged with the child's murder.
The Cook County's Medical Examiner's Office on Friday said the toddler died by strangulation, and his death was ruled a homicide. Dontrell's father, 30-year-old Donald Johnson, was charged with one count of first-degree murder.
CBS 2's Mai Martinez talked to Donald Johnson's family. They believe he killed his son all because of a broken heart.
Hearing that her grandson was strangled to death was almost too much for Sheila Young and her brother to bear.
What makes it especially hard, is their belief that it happened at the hands of Dontrell's father, Sheila Young's son, Donald Johnson.
"We didn't expect he'd do bodily harm," said Jason Stigler, Donald Johnson's Uncle.
Sheila Young last saw her grandson around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. The memory now haunts her.
"(He was) just waving, and he lit up like a Christmas tree," she recalls. "I will never ever forget that. Like my baby knew he was going to heaven, like he knew this was his last day."
That afternoon, Donald Johnson started making disturbing phone calls threatening to kill himself and the baby. His uncle received several.
"When he told me the baby is gone, I took it as the baby is dead," Stigler said.
And yet he received a text message from Johnson at 9:13 p.m. It said: "Trel is safe believe me."
But a short time later, Johnson was arrested by Chicago Police near 59th and State. Sheila Young says while in police custody, her son refused to say where Dontrell was. That's when she knew her grandson was no longer alive.
"I was like 'The way he gave you all that love, the way he talked to you and the things he did, how did you kill him Don?' Because I knew he was dead. I knew he was dead."
Young believes her son also planned to kill himself but didn't go through with it.
She says a letter found Friday that was written by Johnson and dated Oct. 4 is proof of that plan -- and perhaps a motive. In it, her son talks about the love he has for Dontrell's mother. The two had broken up, but Johnson's mother says he never got over her.
"He couldn't have her. He couldn't be in a relationship with her," she said. "So, what's going to hurt her more? The baby. That's why he done it."
Donald Johnson is scheduled to appear in bond court Saturday.
The victim's family rejoiced at the news that Johnson had been charged. They say it's a great relief and they plan to be at his hearing. They are also planning a prayer vigil for Sunday afternoon near the place where Dontrell's body was pulled from Lake Michigan.
About 2:15 p.m. Thursday, a recreational boater found Dontrell, who initially was believed to be a doll, floating in Lake Michigan off East 68th Street, Fire Media Affairs Dir. Larry Langford said. They realized it was a child, called for help and were met by an ambulance crew who tried to get the child breathing, Langford said.
The child was rushed to University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital, but resuscitation efforts failed.
Dontrell had been missing since Monday, when his father picked him up from an address in the 9400 bock of South Harvard, where neighbors said the boy's aunt lived.
Police issued an "endangered juvenile" alert Thursday, saying the father had refused to return Dontrell and threatened the child. The alert said the father had been found and arrested, but that he refused to divulge Dontrell's location.
Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
