Teenager charged with homicide in his own baby's death

PITTSBURGH — A teenager is facing homicide charges in the death of his baby.

De-Jon Johnson, 17, is accused of suffocating his 4-month-old son, Isaiah Brooks-Leonard, while the baby was with him for the weekend.

According to a criminal complaint, Johnson was taking care of the child at a home on Baker Street in McKeesport in February when police were called there for a report of an unresponsive child.

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According to police, Johnson and his mother were with the baby all day until his mother went to bed around 10:40 p.m. the night of Feb. 5, which was Super Bowl Sunday.

According to police paperwork, the baby was found unresponsive in Johnson's bedroom on the third floor around 3 a.m. the next day. The child was taken to a hospital in cardiac arrest, where he was later pronounced dead.

Police said the baby had bruises on his cheek, nose and hip, and the inside of his upper lip was badly cut. The medical examiner's office concluded that the cause of death was suffocation.

Johnson was interviewed by police with his mother, and his mother said the baby had no bruises or problems when she saw him last before she went to bed.

Police are still investigating the specifics of what allegedly happened between Johnson and the child, but they believe they have enough evidence for the homicide charge, which is why they arrested him Wednesday.

Stay with Channel 11 News and WPXI.com for continuing coverage.

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