On August 1, 2015, a Washington, D.C., woman experienced a mother’s worst nightmare. She was told her toddler was dead after her boyfriend gave the boy life-threatening injuries. The man who killed his girlfriend’s toddler was acquitted of murder charges , Washington Post reveals.
That day, Isatu Jalloh had to leave for work and left her boyfriend, Osman Sesay, 29, in charge of babysitting her son, Ahmed Jalloh. What she didn’t expect was to receive a call that her son was taken to the Children’s National Medical Center unresponsive with life-threatening injuries.
When Isatu made it to the hospital, she received the worst news any mother could ever receive. Her son was dead. Isatu asked to see it for herself. What she saw when she walked into the room was her son’s lifeless body laying on a hospital bed covered with a bed sheet.
Isatu told the Prince George’s County Court about that moment when she saw her son dead.
“I went close to the bed. I touched him, and he was cold.”
The devastated mother could not believe that the healthy boy she left at home for just three hours could be dead. She also sadly informed the court that she had just given Ahmed a high-five for going potty for the first time right before she left for work that day.
#breaking Babysitting boyfriend found guilty of child abuse but acquitted of murder in toddler’s death https://t.co/0jDYa3Mqrg
— Sagar Singh (@SagarSingh1985) September 2, 2016
The autopsy revealed shocking results. The boy had a torn liver and suffered from blunt forced trauma and brain damage.
Osman Sesay was charged with the child’s death, but one year later, was acquitted of the murder charges. Instead of being convicted of murder in Ahmed’s death, Sesay was convicted of assault and child abuse resulting in death.
The verdict was made after a long three-day court trial on Thursday. It was revealed that Sesay was hungover after a long night of smoking and drinking on that day he was to babysit Ahmed.
Sesay was angry at the child for being too loud while he played with his toy basketball set, which was bought for Ahmed for his birthday. Sesay brutally beat and smacked Ahmed, causing traumatic, life-threatening injuries, said Assistant State’s Attorney Donine Carrington.
“This case is not about a bad babysitter. This case is about a horrible babysitter. This case is every parent’s worst nightmare.”
Sesay’s attorney, William Porter, insisted that the boy sustained his injuries while Sesay was administering first-aid.
Sesay denied abusing the child, claiming that he simply fell asleep while watching the boy and was awakened to a loud thud. When he went to check on Ahmed, the boy was laying lifeless on the floor with his eyes rolling back and barely breathing, NBC Washington revealed.
Sesay said that he began administering CPR on the child and was worried that he ingested tobacco that was left sitting around in the bedroom. He called 911 just three short hours after the boy’s mother left for work.
Porter questioned the court, insisting that pictures would have been provided showing the boy severely bruised, had his client beat the boy.
Isatu confessed to the court that her babysitter, who the boy called “Grandma,” came up ill and could no longer watch Ahmed, so she started to let Sesay babysit him.
“He needed help with his son and he was having financial problems, so I just wanted to help him.”
Carrington insisted that the boy was healthy the night before Sesay babysat him. His injuries clearly came from Sesay.
“You cannot lacerate your own liver. You cannot cause your own brain to swell. The defendant is wholly responsible for the death of that child.”
Sesay’s attorney argued that the boy could have obtained his injuries from a hard fall off a bead. He said that prosecutors were unable to prove Sesay was responsible for the boy’s injuries and questioned the boy’s lack of bruises or broken bones.
Sesay’s attorney further stated that this case would not have even made it to the court had it been a 15-year-old white babysitter, rather than a 29-year-old black babysitter.
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