Man accused of killing 2-month-old in jealous rage tries to blame autistic son

Court documents indicate that on August 16 police were dispatched to an apartment on New Jersey Avenue after a neighbor called 911; officers found Demetrius Beatty cradling an unconscious two-month-old, Khamyah Honesty, who displayed facial bruising, head fractures and eye bleeding. A forensic pathologist determined the injuries were non-accidental and inconsistent with a child’s actions. Prosecutors contend Beatty killed the infant in a jealous rage, motivated by the fact the twins were conceived with another man, and note that he had threatened the mother days earlier.

In the emergency call Beatty claimed his six-year-old autistic son had attacked the baby, and he later gave varying accounts of how the injuries occurred. The apartment was described as filthy and cluttered, and other children in the home showed signs of neglect. Beatty was arrested on September 16, denied pre-trial home confinement, and the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency placed the surviving children into custody; his next court date is set for September 28.