Darriynn Brown, a Texas man accused of killing a 4-year-old boy was indicted Monday for capital murder and other charges by a Dallas County grand jury.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, 18-year Brown was arrested and charged in June for Cash’s death. A passerby found the child’s body on May 15, lying lifeless in the 7500 block of Saddleridge Drive in Dallas, at around 6 a.m. He was covered in his own blood and had numerous stab wounds.
Neighbor Antwainese Square, 39, said that she was jogging when she discovered Cash.
“I noticed the baby had ants at the bottom of his feet. So I knew he was deceased then,” Square said. “It was heart-wrenching because this baby could have been no more than 5.”
According to the child’s guardian, identified as his father’s girlfriend, Monica Sherrod, Cash was sleeping in his room when Brown broke into the home’s backdoor and kidnapped him. She added that security footage caught the incident as Cash slept in a toddler crib with his twin brother, Carter.
Footage obtained by DailyMail shows a video of a man who appears to be Brown inside Cash’s bedroom on the night in question. The man in the video is seen grabbing the sleeping boy and fleeing the residence.
According to the latest affidavit, Brown carried Cash to a nearby walking trail and stabbed him in the chest several times. Blood found on the suspect’s hoodie, black Adidas shoes, and a pair of glasses matched the victim’s DNA. Investigators found the items during a search of Brown’s home.
Brown is also accused of trying to take another child from the same neighborhood in February. The grand jury indicted him Monday on additional charges of burglary and injury to an elderly person.
According to a previous affidavit, the homeowner confronted Brown after he allegedly came into his residence and began going through rooms and closets. The man told police that he picked up a kitchen knife and told Brown to leave, eventually forcing him out. But, the affidavit says, Brown came back and began kicking a door between the garage and the home.
When the homeowner opened the door, Brown allegedly came into the house and punched him in the forehead.
At that point, according to the affidavit, Brown went into the living room where the homeowner’s 2-year-old granddaughter was sleeping and picked her up, heading toward the laundry room in the back of the house.
Brown allegedly ignored the grandfather’s demands to put the girl down, so the homeowner took the girl out of Brown’s arms and put her back on the sofa in the living room.
Then, the affidavit says, the homeowner returned to the kitchen and confronted Brown, who punched him in the face and ran out the back door. The man also told police that he ran into Brown two weeks later at Walmart. Brown apologized, the man said, saying “he was sorry for breaking into his house and trying to take his grandchild.”
The homeowner had decided at the time not to press charges initially but did so after Cash Gernon was found dead.
Brown’s attorney, Heath Harris, said that he would finally get access to the full case files, Dallas News reports. Brown added that he expects his client to be found incompetent to stand trial due to mental health issues.
If convicted, Brown could face life in prison or the death penalty. He remains behind bars in Dallas.
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[Feature Photo: Cash Gernon/Family Handout]
