A grand jury indicted a father on a first-degree murder charge in his son’s death in October.
The day after Deandre Pettus Jr. was discovered dead inside a squalid Connecticut Avenue NW apartment, D.C. police charged his father, Deandre Pettus Sr., with cruelty to children, stating that they did not know how the youngster died and would await a medical examiner’s verdict.
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A grand jury filed an indictment last Thursday, alleging that Pettus Sr. “tortured and cruelly beat” his son. According to the accusation, he killed the infant “by drowning him on or about October 6th.”
However, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reports that the cause and manner of death for 5-year-old Deandre are unknown. Pettus Sr. was arraigned on the charges on Friday and is currently free on personal recognizance.
Pettus was charged with assault in May 2023 after a woman reported that he punched her in the face and threatened her with a pistol, according to court documents.
D.C. Child and Family Services took Pettus’ son and two daughters away, but the charges were dismissed nine months later for unknown reasons.
Pettus quickly regained custody of the children, and Child and Family Services began to supervise them.
Pettus has been told to keep away from his children. He has also been ordered to avoid the woman he allegedly assaulted until June.
A witness notified police. Deandre Pettus, the boy’s father, acknowledged hitting his son before contacting 911, according to court filings. According to a witness, Pettus admitted to hitting the decedent about the body and lying to first responders about the decedent’s fall into a wall. The witness also told authorities that he saw Deandre Pettus punch the decedent on previous occasions.
The child went to Murch Elementary School in Northwest.
