A formal charge was not filed Tuesday against a 26-year-old Hawthorne man arrested on suspicion of murder for the slaying of his girlfriend's two-year-old son, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Hector Ernest Jr. was arrested over the weekend after he and his girlfriend took her unconscious two-year-old son to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center Saturday. The boy was pronounced dead within an hour of arriving at the hospital and Ernest was arrested the following day at the mother's West Long Beach home.
Police said there were signs of abuse on the child's body, including bruising, and suspect neighbors probably heard the child being beaten.
Ernest Jr. was expected to be arraigned on a formal charge Tuesday afternoon but the charge was postponed when the DA's office returned the case to Long Beach Police for further investigation.
It is not immediately known if Ernest would continue to be held in lieu of $1 million bail as police continued their investigation.
Anyone with information on the case is urged to call Long Beach Police Department Homicide Detectives Mark McGuire or Greg Krabbe at 562-570-7244.
Hector Ernest Jr. was arrested over the weekend after he and his girlfriend took her unconscious two-year-old son to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center Saturday. The boy was pronounced dead within an hour of arriving at the hospital and Ernest was arrested the following day at the mother's West Long Beach home.
Police said there were signs of abuse on the child's body, including bruising, and suspect neighbors probably heard the child being beaten.
Ernest Jr. was expected to be arraigned on a formal charge Tuesday afternoon but the charge was postponed when the DA's office returned the case to Long Beach Police for further investigation.
It is not immediately known if Ernest would continue to be held in lieu of $1 million bail as police continued their investigation.
Anyone with information on the case is urged to call Long Beach Police Department Homicide Detectives Mark McGuire or Greg Krabbe at 562-570-7244.
Please tell me this is a joke. I cant believe how many children are being killed by their "parents". WTF is going on here people? They are defenseless children. If anyone evr laid a finger on my kids there would be hell to pay.
why? I thought they automatically press charges in minor cases.
I guess they didn't feel like doing the paperwork ,once again. Tax payers pay into a system that does not work.
I'm not sure I understand your question, but the suspect is not a minor. And there's nothing that's automatic if a minor is killed. The police always investigate, but the DA doesn't have to bring a charge if they don't feel there is enough evidence. I highly doubt that would happen here though, I think they're just taking their time and making sure the investigation is thorough.