MORRIS COUNTY

Man indicted on charge of battering, killing boy in Montville

Peggy Wright
@PeggyWrightDR

MORRISTOWN - A 28-year-old man who was charged last year with causing the death of his girlfriend's 3-year-old son by severe beatings was indicted Thursday by a Morris County grand jury on charges of murder as well as aggravated assault against the toddler's mother.

Morris County courthouse, Morristown, NJ

The grand jury issued an indictment that charges Maurice Pearson with murder, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Pearson, who formerly lived in Altoona, Pa., and was temporarily living with the toddler and the child's mother at the Knight's Inn in the Pine Brook section of Montville when the alleged beatings occurred in April 2015, also was indicted on charges of aggravated assault on the boy's mother and hindering his own apprehension by giving police a false name, according to Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp.

In January, bail was maintained for a third time at $1 million on Pearson, who is accused of murdering toddler Ty'mil Solomon under the homicide theory of causing serious bodily injury to the boy that resulted in death, rather than knowingly and purposefully killing him.

The boy died on April 13, 2015 — three days after he was taken to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson. The cause of death has been listed as blunt force trauma to the head. Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Troiano, who is handling the case, has said in court that the cause was determined after the county Medical Examiner consulted with a forensic neuropathologist from St. Louis, Mo.

Defense lawyer Michael Fletcher has previously said the evidence against Pearson is based upon statements by the boy's mother and that he intends to vigorously defend the case.

Pearson himself made an emergency call for help on April 10, 2015 to report that the boy was choking. When police arrived, they found the battered, still-alive child and Pearson's girlfriend, who bore bruises on her face and body. When Pearson was separated from his girlfriend by police, the woman alleged that Pearson had beat her and the boy, Troiano has said.

Though whippings with a belt were not the cause of the boy's death, Troiano said, the child's body was "ravaged" all over with welts and marks from a belt.  The boy was declared brain-dead on April 13 and taken off life support.

Pearson initially was charged on April 10 with aggravated assault on both the boy and on his mother, along with endangering the welfare of a child and hindering apprehension by falsely telling police his name was Lloyd Pearson, which is his brother's name. A murder charge was filed after the boy's death, followed by the indictment handed up Thursday.

Authorities have said that Pearson was living a transient lifestyle, unemployed and moving from motel to motel. Authorities previously have said that Pearson collects Social Security/disability and Pearson himself told a judge at a bail hearing last spring that he has a defective heart for which he needs daily medication.

Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@GannettNJ.com