Connecticut Man Charged with Murder After Beating 6-Year-Old Stepson to Death with Metal Bat
Anna Escobar/GoFundME
A tragic incident in Bridgeport, Connecticut has left a community reeling after police reported that a man beat his 6-year-old stepson to death with a metal bat. The young boy, Jathan Escobar, was hospitalized with severe brain damage and placed on life support before being pronounced dead on Wednesday.
Jathan’s family spoke to WFSB-TV, remembering the child as someone who always radiated happiness. “No matter what was going on, he was always so happy with everybody,” said his cousin, Sasha Heron.
Police arrested the boy’s stepfather, 38-year-old Abdulrahim Sulaiman, charging him with murder with special circumstances. According to authorities, Sulaiman allegedly attacked his wife and her children in their apartment on Main Street on September 25, using a metal bat during the brutal assault. Jathan’s mother, who was also attacked, screamed for help during the horrific incident.
When police arrived, they immediately performed CPR on the young boy, but the extent of his injuries was devastating. Officers reported seeing brain matter through a head injury inflicted by the bat.
Jathan’s mother, 33, told police that she had only known Sulaiman for about a year, and the two had been married for a few months. She also claimed that Sulaiman had recently been smoking PCP and had become increasingly violent.
Sulaiman, who has a violent criminal history and was on probation at the time of the attack, initially had his bond set at $1 million. However, after the child’s death and the escalation of the charges to murder, the bond was raised to $10 million.
“He was always so happy and he just enjoyed life altogether,” Jathan’s cousin Sasha Heron shared, heartbroken over the loss. The tragedy has left the family and community mourning the senseless death of an innocent child.
