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Inset: Adrien Dokes (Knox County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The apartment complex where Dokes and his son lived in Knoxville, Tenn. (Google Maps).
A Tennessee man is behind bars for brutally killing his 3-month-old son, according to law enforcement in the Volunteer State.
Adrien Dokes, 18, stands accused of murder in the first degree in perpetuating aggravated child abuse, according to Knox County Sheriff’s Office records.
The defendant was arrested on Thursday evening, per a press release issued by the Knoxville Police Department.
At around 8 p.m. on Thursday, officers were called to an apartment on Forestal Drive in Knoxville in response to an “unresponsive infant,” according to the police department.
The child was then rushed to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries just after midnight on Sept. 12, police said.
Those injuries were described as “severe” in the initial press release.
“Dokes, who was detained by responding officers and later questioned by KPD Homicide Unit and Special Crimes detectives, was taken into custody and charged with first degree murder in perpetuating of child abuse,” the press release reads. “The circumstances surrounding this incident remain under investigation. The victim will undergo an autopsy at the Regional Forensic Center to further evaluate the cause of death and full extent of his injuries.”
Additional details concerning the arrest are contained in an arrest warrant for Dokes obtained by Knoxville-based NBC affiliate WBIR.
Arriving officers reportedly described visible injuries around the baby’s jaw, according to the warrant.
After being arrested, during a custodial interview, the defendant allegedly admitted to squeezing both his son’s neck and chin in frustration, according to the warrant. These actions led to the child struggling to breathe.
The defendant also allegedly admitted to pushing down hard on the child’s abdomen.
An autopsy will be performed on the infant to determine his precise cause of death and the full extent of his injuries, according to WBIR.
Dokes is currently being detained in the Knox County Jail on $1 million bond.
He is next slated to appear in court for a bond hearing on Sept. 15, records show.
