The Edmond Sun

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October 14, 2009

<font color="red">NEW VIDEO:</font> Police arrest Edmond man in death of 2-year-old

Mark Schlachtenhaufen

EDMOND — A 24-year-old Edmond man is being held without bond in Oklahoma County jail in the alleged murder of a 2-year-old boy.







Edmond Police spokeswoman Glynda Chu said at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday officers were working a vandalism call at the Rolling Green Apartments, 400 E. Danforth Road, when a couple approached them.

The couple told police that their child was in distress, having problems, Chu said. The officers looked at Jolen Babakhani, 2, noticed bruising and immediately knew that the situation was serious, she said. They began performing CPR, and after EMSA and the Edmond Fire Department arrived they were able to get a pulse.

The boy was taken to The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center, where he was put on life support.

Edmond Lt. Tom Custer said the boy was taken off life support Wednesday afternoon and pronounced dead at 12:35 p.m. due to the injuries that he suffered.

Custer said after the boy died the complaint against Rico Antwoine Berry, 24, of Edmond, was amended to felony murder. That was in response to the victim dying in the commission of a felony, which in this incident was child abuse, he said.

Berry was arrested Tuesday night after the completion of some police interviews at the police station, Custer said. Police believed they had probable cause and arrested him on the child abuse complaint, Custer said. The mother, Sara Babakhani, is not a suspect at this time, and there are no other persons of interest, he said.

Berry later was transported to the Oklahoma County Jail, where he was being held without bond. Custer said charges had not yet been filed by the district attorney’s office. Police are still working with Berry, he said.

Custer said during questioning before the arrest, Berry gave police several different stories. Basically, Berry said he had “laid hands on the child” and claimed he was not aware that the child was injured, Custer said.

“When he noticed that Jolen wasn’t breathing was about the same moment that (the) mother arrived home,” Custer said. “He told (the) mother it didn’t look like Jolen was breathing. His lips were blue.”

The mother became alarmed and put the boy in the car; then they saw the officers at the other end of the complex, Custer said. Those officers took extraordinary measures to attempt to resuscitate the boy, he said.

Berry, who was not the boy’s biological father, was baby-sitting at the time of the incident, Custer said. The boy had been ill a few days earlier, he said.

Custer said the boy’s family members have been notified.

“Obviously, this is a tragedy for them, and they are dealing with it the best they can,” Custer said.

In August 2008, Berry was charged with two felony counts of second-degree burglary, and last month he received a deferred sentence and community service.



marks@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 108

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