Dead baby's dad charged with abuse

KALAMAZOO TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) - The 22-year-old father of a 4-month-old baby who died was charged with first-degree child abuse late Tuesday afternoon.

Tahj Oneal Lockett was formally charged Tuesday with intentionally abusing his son and is being held on $50,000 bond. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison.  

The baby, also named Tahj Oneal Lockett, was found dead in an apartment at the Somerset On The Hill complex in the 500 block of North Arlington on Monday. Police were called there after the baby's mother called 911, saying that her child wasn't breathing.

"It's shocking. It's shocking that something like that done happen here," said neighbor Leslie Pratt, who lives in the same complex.

Authorities say Lockett was intentionally abusing the baby.

"I'm not really at liberty to talk about the specific evidence, but there was definitely evidence to support that," said Kalamazoo Township Police Chief Tim Bourgeois.

Police couldn't go into details of the case, but a family court document to terminate Lockett's parental rights to another child, a 3-year-old girl, said baby Tahj was in his father's sole custody when the injuries happened.  The documents state the baby had "numerous" injuries in different stages of healing, and died as a result of those injuries.

"At this point, the information that we have supports the charge of child abuse," said Bourgeois. "We do not have the cause of death yet from the medical examiner, and that may well affect charges in the case."

The family court document goes on to allege that Lockett has a "substantial history of violence towards his intimate partners." 24 Hour News 8 learned that he also has a criminal record dating back to when he was 13 years old. It contains convictions for domestic violence and drug offenses.  

Pratt, the family's neighbor, said no one noticed any signs of abuse before the infant's death.

"I think it's kind of sad, I think, for someone to hurt a child. To really abuse a child, they can't be in their right mind to do that," said Pratt. "You're supposed to love them because kids, they need us. They need us to take care of and nurture them so they can grow up strong and take care of themselves."