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Man found guilty of baby's death
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
The family of Larry Dawson was allowed to cry by themselves for several minutes in a Mahoning County Common Pleas Court courtroom after a jury found him guilty of murder in the death of his 15-month-old son, Rayvon Stewart.
Dawson’s mother broke into tears Monday and mouthed the word “no” as Judge Shirley J. Christian read the guilty verdicts for the murder charge as well as two counts of child endangering. Other family members also were sobbing.
Dawson, 26, of Wesley Avenue, took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes and also was sniffling. Afterward, he was in tears as deputies led him away in handcuffs. He told someone he loved them as another person said, “The truth will come out.”
A sentencing date has not been set.
Just before the verdicts were delivered, Judge Christian denied a motion by defense lawyer Joseph Gardner for a mistrial.
Jurors began hearing testimony in the case June 24, heard closing arguments Friday morning and got the case to deliberate about 11:30 a.m. They were dismissed about 5 p.m. Friday without reaching a verdict, returned about 8:30 a.m. Monday and handed up their verdicts about 9:30 a.m.
Rayvon died in December 2012 in Akron Children’s Hospital after being nonresponsive in an Oregon Avenue apartment where Dawson was staying with his girlfriend, who is not Rayvon’s mother.
An autopsy revealed Rayvon died of blunt-force trauma to the back of the head. Gardner said the baby had suffered the injury from a fall, perhaps down the stairs in the apartment, and he had an expert witness who testified the injury was sustained at least 48 hours and possibly 72 hours before Rayvon died of his injuries.
Prosecutors, however, used testimony from the Summit County pathologist who performed Rayvon’s autopsy, who said the injury could not have come from a fall but only from either being punched, slammed against a padded object or from a severe auto accident.
The pathologist also said Rayvon could not have been able to function normally for two or three days with the type of injury he had, that the effects would be almost immediate.
Prosecutors also said Dawson failed to call 911 and instead had his girlfriend call about 45 minutes later, and that he was oddly cool as police and paramedics tried to revive his son.