An Illinois mother and her boyfriend have been charged with murder in the death of her 8-year-old son, who was found malnourished and with bruises on his body.
Investigators said that 38-year-old Joey L. Ruffin even made videos of himself punishing Markell Pierce, WLS reports. Prosecutors told a judge on Monday that Ruffin admitted hitting Pierce and his 10-year-old sibling with belts and forcing them to carry 8-pound weights as a punishment for whatever infringements he felt they made.
And, investigators said, the abuse goes back nearly two years.
Ruffin and 33-year-old Dominque Servant are both charged with two counts of first degree murder and one count of child endangerment causing death, the Round Lake Beach Police Department said.
Police said they got a 911 call just after 2 p.m. on Friday reporting an unresponsive child. Officers arrived first on the scene and began CPR, which was taken over by medics when they arrived. They took Pierce to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“First responders noticed the child appeared malnourished and had bruising on his body,” police said, adding that detectives soon uncovered “evidence that the child had been subject to long-term neglect, physical abuse, and mental abuse.”
Child advocates interviewed Pierce’s 10-year-old sister, and she were admitted to a hospital with signs of abuse and malnourishment.
Pierce’s autopsy, which has not been finalized, showed signs of “long-term malnourishment and physical abuse,” police said.
Servant and Ruffin appeared in court on Monday. Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart told the court that Pierce was beaten and starved in the days leading up to his death, WLS said.
“There should be one more eight-year-old alive in this world today. This horrific death was preventable,” he said.
WLS said there was also a 3-year-old boy in the home, and he was placed in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services. Prosecutors said they don’t believe he was abused.
Ruffin and Servant are due in court again on March 3. They are currently being held without bond.
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[Featured image: Dominique Servant and Joey Ruffin/Lake County Sheriff’s Office]