Father Murdered Infant Son, Then Called 911 For Help, Prosecutors Say

By Mae Rice in News on Jun 8, 2016 4:04PM

Brandon Holman, 34 (Chicago Police Department)

A man has been accused of killing his son, then calling 911 for medical assistance with an unresponsive child, according to county prosecutors.

After calling 911, the man then allegedly met paramedics on his porch while holding his long-dead baby in his arms, the Tribune reports that prosecutors said at a Tuesday hearing. The two-month-old boy was already cold, and rigor mortis had set in, by the time paramedics took him away.

Brandon Holman, 34, was charged with two felony counts of murder in the death of his son, Bryson Holman. The night Holman's son died was the first night the child had spent in sole custody of his father.

Holman called authorities to his Ashburn home in the 3200 block of West 83rd Place at about noon on Saturday, police said. His son was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead. An autopsy of the baby revealed bruising around his neck, arms and abdomen, as well as several broken ribs; the Sun-Times reports the child died of multiple abuse-related injuries. Prosecutors said Holman gave authorities six or more accounts of how his son was injured, the Tribune reported. Holman said Bryson might have choked to death on his own vomit; Holman also said he might have dropped Bryson and then accidentally smothered him.

The night before the boy's death, Holman took the boy and his mother out to dinner, according to prosecutors. Then Holman, who is married to another woman and has several children (including an infant) with her, took Bryson home to his parents' house, where he had been sleeping on an air mattress. He didn't tell anyone the boy was staying with him. Before the boy went home with Holman, he showed no signs of injury, the boy's mother and other people who knew the boy told detectives.

Holman has been ordered held on $1 million bail. His next court date is June 24, according to the Tribune.