Prosecutors have charged a Missouri man with first degree murder in the June death of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son, the Joplin Globe reports.
Brian O’Grodnick, 22, was charged with four counts of child abuse after investigators found several videos on his cellphone showing repeated abuse of Jameson Long, who died on June 2 after he was found unconscious and not breathing at a Joplin home three days earlier, as CrimeOnline previously reported.
On Monday, O’Grodnick, who is being held without bond at the Jasper County Jail, was also charged with first degree murder and two more counts of child abuse.
First responders rushed the toddler to a local hospital on May 31 after answering the call about an unconscious child, but quickly transferred him to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, 160 miles away, because his injuries were so severe.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for O’Grodnick’s cellphone and discovered that he recorded previous instances of child abuse, according to court documents. On April 22, O’Grodnick allegedly pinched Jameson’s mouth together while shoving his face.
On April 21, the suspect allegedly pinched the boy’s mouth together again and slapped him across the face. On April 22, cellphone footage showed O’Grodnick choking Jameson while forcing the boy to beg for water. In another video on the same day, the suspect allegedly punched Jameson in the face.
On May 1, cellphone footage showed O’Grodnick grab Jameson’s hair while demanding to know if the boy loved him, according to a probable cause statement obtained by KSN.
Throughout the videos, Jameson can be seen bruised, shaking, and crying, investigators said. Police added that the suspect admitted to abusing the boy while recording the incidents with his cellphone.
O’Grodnick was arrested on the initial child abuse charges the following day. The additional charges were delayed while prosecutors waited on the medical examiner to release the autopsy results, the Globe said. Prosecuting Attorney Theresa Kenney added the new charges after her review of the report but has not revealed its contents.
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[Feature Photo: Jameson Long via Joplin Crime Watch/Facebook]
