An Indiana man has admitted to murdering his infant son after initially telling authorities that he had become unconscious because he “hit himself,” according to prosecutors.
According to online court documents, Franklin Elmore, Jr., 29, of Elkhart, pled guilty on October 9 to murdering his son Justin, 6, in August.
Cheyenne Elmore, the boy’s stepmother, was arrested and charged with murder; she has pled not guilty and is awaiting trial.
Elmore reached a plea agreement with prosecutors soon before his trial was scheduled to begin.
During the hearing in which Elmore pleaded guilty, his attorney asked him, “Did you knowingly kill another human being, Victim 1?” WNDU reported.
Elmore responded, “Yes, sir.”
His attorney then asked him, “Do you acknowledge you physically beat your son and he died?” to which he replied, “I did not mean it.”
According to the source, he acknowledged that the way he chastised the youngster was inconsistent with typical parenting.
The fatal beating was discovered on August 3, when EMTs arrived to the family’s home after receiving a complaint of an unresponsive youngster.
The toddler allegedly “hit himself,” according to the 911 caller, according to the Elkhart County prosecutor in an August statement.
However, medical personnel at Elkhart General Hospital believe that several of the boy’s injuries, including a traumatic brain injury and a punctured lung, were not self-inflicted, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Investigators claim they discovered that Cheyenne had previously complained to her husband about her stepson’s behavior, and that the two would allegedly discipline the child by “forcing him to engage in lengthy physical exercise and ‘whoop’ him with a belt or a hand,” according to the prosecutor.
Following the child’s death, detectives discovered “numerous” bruises and abrasions on his body.
The inquiry discovered that just before the boy died, his father “attacked the child in his ‘playroom,'” according to the statement.
He is set to be sentenced on November 25.
Their attorneys did not return inquiries for comment.
If you suspect child abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453.
