$500K bond for man charged in son's death

By JOE GORMAN

jgorman@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The young father accused of killing his infant son appeared dazed Monday during his arraignment in municipal court.

Appearing via video hookup from the Mahoning County jail, Xavier Richardson, 19, of Wick Avenue, was arraigned before Judge Renee DiSalvo on charges of murder, felonious assault and endangering children. His bond was set at $500,000.

Richardson is accused of the death of Xavier Richardson Jr., less than 2 months old, who died Saturday evening at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital after he was taken there by his father.

Assistant City Prosecutor Jeffrey Moliterno told Judge DiSalvo that hospital personnel examining the child found bite marks on him and a CT scan showed bleeding on the baby’s brain.

“The medical staff deemed these injuries as consistent with abuse,” Moliterno said.

Moliterno said Richardson denied causing the injuries to the baby, but he did tell detectives he was the only person home with the baby. The baby’s mother was at work at the time.

In a police report, Richardson said he noticed the baby was sleeping but not breathing, so he took him to the hospital. The baby was cold to the touch and blue at the hospital, reports said.

Reports said Richardson told investigators he heard the baby gasping for air, which was when he decided to take him to the hospital.

Richardson has no prior criminal record in juvenile, municipal or common pleas court.

Moliterno said the baby was born Jan. 29.

The baby’s death is the fifth homicide in Youngstown in 2019. In 2018, the city had 26 homicides. At this time in 2018, the city had two homicides.

This is the second infant to be killed in the city in just over six months.

On Nov. 7, Tariq Morris, 3 months, died from a gunshot wound at St. Elizabeth after his mother and father also were shot at in a car at Gibson Street and Pasadena Avenue on the South Side. His father, Edward Morris, 21, and mother,

Valarica Blair, 19, also were killed. Police said they believe someone had laid an ambush for Edward Morris and that the baby and Blair just happened to be there when the trap was sprung. Police have yet to make an arrest in the case.

Of the five homicides in the city this year, police have made arrests in four of them.