Essex, MD—A man has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son in Essex.
Baltimore County police said they received a call around 9 p.m. on June 29 for a cardiac arrest in the 900 block of Garden Drive in Essex. The caller, identified as David Marvin Hass Jr., 34, was babysitting his girlfriend’s son and 5-year-old daughter while she was working when the child stopped breathing, police said.
TODDLER DEAD: David Marvin Hass Jr. is charged with child abuse resulting in death and first degree murder after his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son died under his care. https://t.co/jGouNUaSRi
— WJZ | CBS Baltimore (@wjz) July 11, 2019
The boy, identified in a probable cause statement as Damien Landrum, was taken to MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center where he was pronounced dead a half hour after arriving.
Hospital investigators noticed the child had multiple bruises on his face, arm, stomach and back, the probable cause statement said. Due to the age and injuries observed on the child, the Baltimore County Police Homicide Unit was asked to investigate.
Just awful: the 2 year old boy murdered in Baltimore County had a torn bowel & his pancreas was split in two. Charging documents are hard to read. They detail what David Haas says happened to his girlfriend’s 2 year old son. Haas is charged with the toddler’s murder. https://t.co/0oWEZVp3bV pic.twitter.com/X4d3Shw51n
— Shelley Orman (@ShelleyOFox45) July 11, 2019
According to the probable cause statement, Hass told investigators that the boy had “pooped himself,” and that he placed the child in the shower. Hass told investigators that he was gone for approximately 4-5 minutes, and when he returned, he found the boy face down in the tub, not breathing, the statement said.
An autopsy returned to police on July 8 revealed the boy’s bowels were torn and his pancreas was split in two pieces from the force used to inflict the injuries, that statement said. The cause and manner of death was determined to be multiple injuries and homicide.
Homicide Unit detectives determined that the injuries the boy suffered were inconsistent with the account of events given to police by Hass.
Hass was arrested Tuesday and is charged with first-degree child abuse resulting in death and first-degree murder. He is held without bond at the Baltimore County Detention Center pending trial.
Update pic.twitter.com/HPyLMDJOpJ
— Troop D PIO (@PSPTroopDPIO) July 9, 2019
Two days ago, a Pennsylvania man who is currently on parole for a previous homicide has been arrested for allegedly stabbing his girlfriend’s 8-year-old son to death—8 months after being released from prison.
Keith Burley, 43, assaulted the child’s mother then drove away in her vehicle with her two children inside, a 7-year-old and an 8-year-old, before fatally stabbing the eldest child Mark Edward Mason, according to a police statement.
Burley, of Edinburg, was arrested in downtown Youngston, Ohio, after a 10-hour manhunt, reported KDKA.
During the domestic dispute, which took place in a car, Burley’s 36-year-old girlfriend pulled over at a fire department to get help, according to a criminal complaint obtained by WPXI. When she got out of the vehicle, Burley drove to their home with her two children inside, where he then killed the boy.
BREAKING UPDATE: Wanted man Keith Burley was arrested in 1999 for a homicide charge, then faced charges in 2002 for assault by prisoner. He was paroled earlier this year — and last night, @PAStatePolice say he stabbed a 7-year-old boy to death in Lawrence County. Please RT. pic.twitter.com/bgrjitEon9
— Rick Dayton (@rickdayton) July 9, 2019
Two other children, a 15-year-old and an 8-year-old, were at the home and witnessed the stabbing, the new outlet reported. They ran away to get help and Burley then fled.
The 7-year-old who was inside the vehicle was not harmed, police said.
#NEW: This is the area along S. Jefferson St in front of the fire station. Police say the mother of the 2 kids (who is suspect Keith Burley’s girlfriend) exited the car in this spot. Police say Burley then drove her 2 kids back to High Street & allegedly
killed the one. @KDKA pic.twitter.com/VFCPHU1XAP— MEGHAN SCHILLER (@MeghanKDKA) July 9, 2019
The dispute was allegedly over cellphones, reported KDKA, citing authorities. “It got physical and it went from words to physical abuse,” Trp Jim Long told the CBS affiliate.
Burley faces numerous charges including criminal homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault, kidnapping, terroristic threats, reckless endangerment, and unlawful restraint.
