DA: Mother, boyfriend could face death penalty for killing 2-year-old boy

HOUMA, La. (WVUE/Gray News) - Authorities in Louisiana say they might seek the death penalty in a case involving a boy’s mother and her boyfriend after police found the 2-year-old’s body in a trash can.

Police identified the 2-year-old as Ezekiel Harry. His mother, Maya Jones, 28, and her boyfriend, 37-year-old Jermaine Robinson, were arrested by the Houma Police Department. They are facing first-degree murder charges, as reported by WVUE.

On Tuesday, Louisiana State Police initially issued an endangered and missing child alert for Harry. Authorities said Jones told them that he was abducted while walking with his siblings.

About six hours after that initial alert, Houma police reported they found Ezekiel’s body stuffed in a trash can.

Detectives said they also found information that led them to suspect foul play in the incident before arresting Jones and Robinson.

On Wednesday, Houma Police Chief Dana Coleman showed images from surveillance video that authorities said showed Jones walking and driving around with a black duffel bag that contained the boy’s body before dumping it in a trash can.

“This is absolutely a death penalty case,” Terrebonne Parish District Attorney Joe Waitz said. “What happened to this little 2-year-old shocks the conscience.”

Investigators said they are looking into whether there was a documented history of abuse at the boy’s home as past physical abuse has been suspected.

Louisiana has carried out one execution in the past 20 years.

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