A 6-year-old Black boy in Orange County, Calif. was taken to the hospital by his babysitter last week after sustaining critical injuries. But the discovery of who allegedly gave him those injuries will infuriate parents everywhere.
On Thursday, Ernest Lamar Love, 41, was charged with one felony count of murder, torture, and child abuse causing death after Chance Crawford, the 6-year-old boy he was taking care of, died on Tuesday (Sept. 3).
On Aug. 29, after Crawford’s third day of first grade, he was dropped off at Love’s barbershop so that his mother could work a night shift at a local hospital. Shortly after, Love took the boy to a local park where he accidentally peed on himself, according to police.
Authorities claim that after his accident, Love beat and tortured the boy with a piece of wood. There is surveillance footage of Love walking back into his barbershop with the piece of wood in hand and Crawford behind him.
More from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office:
Doctors at CHOC discovered that much of Chance’s flesh was missing from his buttocks, leaving raw, gaping wounds, along with subdural hematoma, extreme brain swelling, and other injuries consistent with violent shaking. The little boy also had healing fracture on his shoulder blade.
Love is accused of beating the first grader with the piece of lumber, then pouring hydrogen peroxide on the open wounds before forcing the boy to doing push-ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks. When the boy collapsed, Love is accused of driving the boy to the emergency room at CHOC instead of calling 911.
In a statement, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said, “Words do not exist to describe the absolute terror this little boy was forced to endure — all at the hands of someone who was supposed to be protecting him, not torturing him to death.”
Love is facing a maximum sentence of 32 years to life in prison, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Crawford’s parents are devastated by the loss of their son. His father, Vance Crawford, told KABC-TV, “He lived a happy life. He was great. He was a great kid. I love my son. I miss him so much. He didn’t deserve that.”