Inset (left): Ivory Brogdon (Facebook). Inset (right): Braxton Williamson (Christian County Sheriff's Office). Background: Christian County Circuit Court in Taylorville, Ill. (Google Maps).
Prosecutors in Illinois said that a toddler who died while she was being watched by her mother's boyfriend barely lasted an hour in his care.
Braxton Williamson, 20, was charged with aggravated battery in connection with the death of 15-month-old Ivory Brogdon, but prosecutors said he may face more serious charges. According to online court records, the autopsy on Ivory was completed on Aug. 14, but the defense was given more time to review the results before her body was released to her family.
In an interview with local ABC affiliate WICS, Christian County State's Attorney John McWard said that a cause of death was listed following the autopsy, but there was more medical evidence the state wanted to confirm before deciding to charge Williamson with first-degree murder.
WICS was in the courtroom for Williamson's hearing on Monday, when prosecutors said he was watching Ivory and her 2-year-old sister while the girls' mother was at work on the night of July 31. Their mother, Melony Newingham, was Williamson's girlfriend. The Christian County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a 911 call at 8:45 p.m. about a baby that had suffered injuries after a fall. Police said after further investigation, "it was determined that the reported fall could not have caused all of the infant's injuries."
Ivory died on Aug. 3, days after she was brought to the hospital with severe head trauma. She was kept on life support after her family chose to donate her organs.
During Monday's hearing, prosecutors said that Williamson had been in charge of the girls for an hour when Ivory started having trouble breathing. McWard told WICS that he believed Ivory suffered from shaken baby syndrome, allegedly at the hands of Williamson.
McWard told WICS, "We're looking at the strains of the eyes, strain meaning, like, if the eyes were under pressure as well as the alleged fracture to the back of the skull and then its impact on the brain."
Detectives reportedly testified that when Williamson reported Ivory's injuries, he said she fell down two steps, or about 20 inches. McWard said Ivory's injuries, such as hemorrhaging and bruising, could have been caused by a skull fracture, but more information was needed to determine whether such a fall could have caused the fracture itself.
Williamson remains in custody at the Christian County Jail, where he is being held without bond after being considered a danger to the community. His next court date is scheduled for Sept. 1.
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