In January 2023, a 7-year-old boy lost his life after being beaten and severely burned by his father, Murtadah Mohammad, in New Hampshire. His injuries were so extensive that his heart stopped twice before he had to be resuscitated, but he sadly couldn’t make it. His devastated mother, Rainah Riley, told news portals at that time, “He died twice.”
During the trial, Prosecutor Peter Hinckley told the jury that 27-year-old Mohammad waited 12 hours before calling 911, highlighting “prolonged anguish that the child endured hour after hour after hour until his young body just gave out on him.”
Hinckley further stated that Mohammad tried to cover up his crime by staging a spill to make his son’s horrifying injuries look like an accident. When the investigation began, he told the cops that he didn’t see what happened to his son because he was taking a shower.
TRAGIC UPDATE: 7yo Jaevion Riley has died, according to the New Hampshire AG’s office.
Jaevion’s biological father was arrested last week for allegedly beating his son into a coma & forcing him to shower in 153 degree water, burning 15-20% of his body. @NBC10Boston pic.twitter.com/sbLwqyw5pV
— Kirsten Glavin (@kirstenglavin) January 26, 2023
More than two years after committing the heinous crime, on April 1, 2023, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and one count of Falsifying Physical Evidence.
In his address to the courtroom, Judge William Delker stated that Jaevion suffered a “sustained campaign of abuse” over the course of five days. Jaevion suffered third-degree burns to 15% of his body. His tooth had been knocked out, and he had a skull fracture as well.
Delker said, “He would have had to fight for his life when he was exposed to boiling water. He must have screamed his heart out when you whipped and beat him, and none of that deterred you. You left him to suffer and ultimately die without seeking help… I think we can only hope that at some point he lost consciousness and didn’t experience the pain for the full 12 or more hours that these crimes occurred,” as reported by People.
As per the reports, Mohammed apologized to Rainah Railey during the trial, blaming his actions on drug and alcohol abuse. However, Judge Delker slammed him by replying, “Even now, even when your future depends on it, you haven’t been able to bring yourself to acknowledge the full scope of what you did to that child, the full magnitude of what you did.”
On May 27, Mohammed was sentenced to 45 years in prison for his son’s murder. However, that’s not enough for the grieving mother. Rainah Riley has accused the authorities of ignoring her requests. Rainah repeatedly raised the alarm with the New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families after seeing injury marks on Jaevion’s body. It was only a few months before Jaevion Riley’s death that Mohammed was granted joint custody.
She told NBC10 Boston, “I called for wellness checks on him when he was with him, for the bruising, and nobody did anything. The system has failed not only my child, but so many children. And something needs to be done, because this isn’t OK. It’s not. Like, when is enough enough?”
Riley has lost her child, but she wants systematic changes to prevent future tragedies. Meanwhile, The New Hampshire DCYF remains silent on the mother’s claims, citing that they are required by law to safeguard the confidentiality of children and their caregivers.
