PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria man charged with the homicide of his infant son will remain in jail until his trial.
41-year-old Dwayne Davis was arrested Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder. He’s accused of abusing and killing his seven-month-old son, Eland Davis.
Davis said the death was an accident, but Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said the severity of the child’s injuries were inconsistent with an accidental death.
Around 10 a.m. on July 1, Peoria Police were called to an apartment on S. Kersee Street for an unresponsive infant. Eland was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Davis claimed he was co-sleeping with his son, and when he woke up, the baby was dead. He also told police he called first responders fifteen minutes after waking up, but later admitted he called the boy’s mother first, and then 911 after she arrived at the apartment.
Autopsy results show the baby had “abusive head trauma,” including multiple hematomas, hemorrhaging, and a fractured bone near his shoulder on his back.
In court on Thursday, the prosecution argued that the injuries could not have resulted from co-sleeping. Davis’s lawyer argued the prosecutor had not provided enough evidence for the court to make a decision, and that the incident appeared to be a tragic accident.
His lawyer also said Davis was granted custody of his infant son and two other children in a Department of Children and Family Services case. The two children are now in the custody of DCFS.
25 News reports that Associate Judge Mark Gilles agreed with the prosecution. He said Davis gave “an unbelievable explanation and failed to call 911,” and that the injuries were varied and spanned over a length of time.
If convicted, Davis could face up to 100 years in prison.
His next court hearing is scheduled for July 31.
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