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Baltimore Man Charged In Infant Son's Death

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—A 7-week-old baby is dead after Baltimore City police say he was abused to the point he stopped breathing.

Rochelle Ritchie has more on this troubling story.

Police are accusing the child's father of murder. He is now in custody, but his family is coming to his defense saying someone else is to blame.

Little Kearri Dion Ware is Baltimore City's latest homicide investigation. He was found dead at an apartment in East Baltimore with bruises all over his fragile body.

"The Medical Examiner's' investigation and evidence revealed the cause of death was blunt force trauma," said Detective Vernon Davis, Baltimore City Police.

Police immediately arrested the child's father, Dion Ware, and charged him with murder.

But Ware's mother is coming to his defense.

"He is not a harmful person at all," she said.

Lavelle Ware says her son told her he had just fed the baby when he started breathing funny. She says that's when he called her sounding like a father desperate to help his child, not a killer.

"He was screaming, hollering like, 'Mom, can you come help me?'" Lavelle Ware recalled.

It all started just after 2 p.m. Friday.

Neighbors saw Ware run out of the apartment building on East 22nd Street screaming for help.

"I was shocked. I was blown away," said Keith Lewter, neighbor.

When police got there they found the 20-year-old father sitting on the steps. The baby was not breathing.

Paramedics performed CPR on the child but to no avail. He was pronounced dead at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

His mother is now coming to his defense saying her son is no murderer.

Stuffed animals are now tied to signs, and balloons with goodbye messages for Kearri remain from a vigil.

Lavelle Ware says she is hoping to speak with investigators soon in hopes of clearing her son's name and finding the real killer for her grandson.

"I'm hurt. I'm crushed. I'm terrified. I don't want my son in jail for something I know he didn't do," she said.

Dion Ware  remains in jail charged with second-degree murder and assault charges. He does not have any bail.

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