Father charged with murder in Houston County child death
A man has been charged with malice murder in the death of his 5-month-old son, a Houston County sheriff’s investigator said.
Ortiz Deion Smothers Jr. was being held without bond Friday in the Houston County jail on the murder and violation of parole charges, jail records show.
The boy was taken by an ambulance to a hospital Monday with brain injuries from a Perry residence he shared with his father and another relative, said Houston County sheriff’s Capt. Randall Banks, who heads the juvenile division.
The boy died Tuesday, Banks said.
The ambulance was summoned after someone who heard Smothers calling for someone to call 911, Banks said.
Smothers was originally jailed Tuesday on a charge of aggravated assault, jail records show. Online state prison records show Smothers has prior convictions for aggravated assault and cruelty to children.
Houston County Coroner Danny Galpin said an autopsy had been completed, but he has not received the written findings of the medical examiner.
Becky Purser: 478-256-9559, @BecPurser
This story was originally published June 16, 2017 at 6:58 PM with the headline "Father charged with murder in Houston County child death."