Boyfriend held without bond, facing charges of murder for beating girlfriend's 1-year-old son

WASHINGTON - A judge ordered a man accused of beating a one-year-old to death be held without bond in his first court appearance on Monday.

Police say Brian Wooden was taking care of his girlfriend's child Wednesday at the 4700 block of Benning Road, Southeast when he called 911 to report the boy wasn't breathing.

Prosecutor Cynthia Wright told the judge in the case that the medical examiner discovered during an autopsy numerous injuries to the child, including a fractured skull and a lacerated liver.

Wright also told the judge the little boy had new and old rib fractures.

According to a court document filed in the case, a witness told police they saw Wooden at around 5 p.m., take the one-year-old boy out of his jeep outside his apartment and told him to "wake up, wake up."

The child was limp the witness said, and appeared to be "dead, tired or sick."

It wasn't until two hours later that Wooden was on the phone to 911 asking for help.

Court documents say "an incredible amount of force was used" on the child, and the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries.

It was just about a month ago police arrested James Embre and charged him with beating his girlfriend's two-year-old boy to death inside a Southeast DC apartment.