A five-year-old boy was beaten to death by his mother's boyfriend because he mispronounced the word 'sad' during a home schooling session, according to police reports.
The horrifying details surrounding the end of Dashawn Harris' young life emerged in court on Wednesday. His mother Lashay Patterson, 23, and her 25-year-old boyfriend Christian Patrick were told they would be charged with first-degree murder.
Every time the little boy stumbled over the 'a' sound in 'sad' at his Philadelphia home, Patrick would punch him or give him a lash with his belt, authorities said
Beaten and bruised: Dashawn Harris, five was found dead at his home at being viciously attacked because he reportedly could not pronounce the word 'sad'
Dashawn Harris was discovered by police in the early hours of December 1, his little body covered with bruises, cigarette burns and belt marks. He was already dead by the time the couple dialed 911.
They had at one point attempted to warm his dying body by burning him with a hairdryer. They initially told police the boy had injured himself falling from a bike.
Patrick, a convicted drug dealer, told police that the five-year-old made him mad because 'he just started saying every letter except the ''a'' sound, so I beat him again', according to philly.com.
The child's mother allegedly sat idly by and did little to save her son from the ferocious attacks.
She had been aware that her boyfriend was beating her son but it 'didn't sound like he was breaking any bones or nothing like that' she told police.
Relatives said they believed Dashawn's three-year-old brother Daqwon was also abused. Daqwon is now in the custody of his father. Many of Dashawn's family wept in court as the child abuse was read out.
At a preliminary hearing for the couple on Wednesday, they were remanded in custody until a trial date is set.
Murder charge: Lashay Patterson (right) and her boyfriend Christian Patrick were arrested a few hours after the child had died
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