WASHINGTON — A Prince George’s County father charged with murder in the death of his 9-week-old son punched the baby repeatedly in order to get the boy to stop crying one evening last month and later buried the baby near a local school with the help of the boy’s mother, court documents said.
According to charging documents, Antoine Petty, Jr. who was born in July, began to cry and scream about 9 p.m. on Sept. 21, irritating his father Antoine Petty, Sr. who took the boy outside an apartment in Greenbelt and punched his son multiple times.
The baby continued to cry after that initial round of beating and he was punched several more times. The blows left the infant with a bloody nose and mouth, and soon he was struggling to breath and became “unresponsive,” court documents said.
Petty and the boy’s mother Geneice Petty placed their infant son inside a car parked outside the apartment, where the boy would remain for more than 24 hours, according to the charging documents.
The next day, the two parents drove to Parkdale High School in Riverdale, where Antoine Petty dug a shallow grave behind the school while Geneice Petty watched holding her child. They buried their son in that grave, where he was found by police about a month later.
Both Pettys confessed to their roles in their child’s death and burial, according to court documents.
Antoine Petty, 32, of Upper Marlboro, was arrested on Wednesday on charges of first- and second-degree murder and child abuse causing death. He was being held in jail without bail.
Geneice Petty, 24, of Greenbelt, was also arrested and charged with accessory to murder. She was being held in lieu of $120,000 bond.
Both are expected to be in court on Friday for a bond review hearing.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story identified Antoine Petty, Jr. as Antione Flemmins per police information they later updated.
