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DA To Seek Death Penalty In Point Marion Tot's 'Torture'

UNIONTOWN, Pa.,None — A prosecutor will seek the death penalty against a Point Marion man in the beating death of his girlfriend's 4-year-old son and will add a homicide charge against the woman.

Attorneys for the 27-year-old defendants, Patrick Haney Jr. and Heather Forsythe, did not immediately comment on Thursday's announcement by Fayette County District Attorney Jack Heneks.

Both are jailed in the September death of Forsythe's son Trenton St. Clair.

Authorities contend Haney beat and choked the boy repeatedly for weeks before he died in September.

Heneks is seeking the death penalty due to the boy's age and because the beatings amounted to "torture," according to Channel 11's news exchange partners at TribLIVE.

Heneks said Forsythe, jailed on a child endangerment charge, will be charged with homicide for her "recklessness" in allowing the abuse.

Previous Stories: September 21, 2011: Mom Released From Jail For Point Marion Toddler's Funeral September 15, 2011: Boy, 4, Dies; Grandma: 'I Told CYS There's Abuse Going On'

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