Crystal Man Charged With Murdering Girlfriend's 2-Year-Old Son

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Authorities say a 21-year-old Crystal man is charged with murder in the beating death of his girlfriend's 2-year-old son, whom he admitted to hitting several times in the face with a flip-flop shoe.

Quran Jabari Mitchell is charged with second-degree murder and is currently in custody, court documents filed Tuesday in Hennepin County show. Mitchell's bail has been set at $1 million. He is not the boy's father.

According to a criminal complaint, officers in the north Minneapolis suburb responded late Saturday night to a home on Adair Avenue after the boy's mother called 911, saying her son wasn't breathing. Officers found the child covered in bruises, unconscious and "very critically ill."

Emergency crews brought the boy to Children's Hospital, where he was placed on life support. Doctors discovered the child had suffered several episodes of cardiac arrest and was neurologically unresponsive.

The boy died Sunday night, the complaint states. Investigators say the boy's mother told police that she saw Mitchell hit the child with a shoe and punch and kick him. Police said they believe the mother was also a victim of abuse.

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The family that rents a room to Mitchell and his girlfriend reported to police that they heard loud thuds Saturday night coming from the room, followed by the boy crying and Mitchell yelling, "Shut up." They also said they saw Mitchell hit the child in the past, but thought it wasn't their place to tell authorities.

When talking with investigators, Mitchell said that the child, who was ill, refused to lie down Saturday night, so he hit the boy in the face with a flip-flop "no more than five times," the complaint states. Mitchell also said that he "used his foot" on the child, but made sure not to hit the boy too hard.

During the interview, Mitchell also admitted to hitting the child on other occasions.

On Tuesday, Crystal Police Chief Stephanie Revering said the child's death was preventable and that Micthell should have been in jail for a November assault, but he only served two days behind bars.

"This is a horrible, horrible tragic case that leaves a scar on any law enforcement agency or any city that has to deal with this," Revering said, adding that witnesses of abuse "need to call 911" to prevent these types of situations.

If convicted of the murder charge, Mitchell faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. He is slated to appear in court Wednesday afternoon.