JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 25-year-old Jacksonville man was arrested in the death of his 3-month-old son after police said the baby died of head trauma in June, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office announced Friday.
Charles Deas III is charged with second-degree murder and aggravated manslaughter of a child in the death of Ke'Sean Deas.
Sheriff's Office Lt. Craig Waldrup said police were called to the Eureka Gardens Apartments on June 7 because Ke'Sean was unresponsive.
“I saw the paramedics carrying the little boy, who was limp, to the ambulance. There was one lady crying. I didn't know what the situation was, but I couldn’t watch anymore," a neighbor, who did not wish to be identified, recounted Friday. "There was no life in that boy at all, whatsoever."
The infant died the next day at Wolfson Children's Hospital. A medical examiner determined Ke'Sean's death was a homicide due to blunt force head trauma. The boy's injuries, according to the arrest report, also included brain hemorrhage and fractured ribs.
Deas initially told investigators that he had been watching his son while the boy's mother went grocery shopping and Ke'Sean had fallen off a bed when he left the room, according to the arrest report.
Waldrup said the medical examiner found the death was caused by shaking or possible battery.
When detectives interviewed Deas again on Oct. 3, he admitted that his actions resulted in the baby's death, Waldrup said.
Deas is being held in the Duval County jail on $1.5 million bond, pending his arraignment Oct. 25.
Court records show that less than a month before the baby’s death, Deas was named in a paternity suit.
Deas also has prior convictions for theft and drug possession, according to Duval County court records.