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Inset: Adrien Dokes (Knox County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The apartment complex where Dokes and his son lived in Knoxville, Tenn. (Google Maps).
A Tennessee man is behind bars for brutally killing his 3-month-old son, according to law enforcement in the Volunteer State.
Adrien Dokes, 18, is facing charges of first degree murder related to aggravated child abuse, based on reports from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
The defendant was arrested on Thursday evening, per a press release issued by the Knoxville Police Department.
On Thursday evening around 8 p.m., officers were dispatched to an apartment on Forestal Drive in Knoxville after receiving a call about an “unresponsive infant,” as stated by the police department.
The child was then rushed to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries just after midnight on Sept. 12, police said.
Those injuries were described as “severe” in the initial press release.
“Dokes was detained by officers who responded, and was subsequently questioned by KPD Homicide Unit and Special Crimes detectives before being taken into custody on charges of first degree murder in connection with child abuse,” according to the press release. “The investigation into the circumstances of this incident is ongoing. An autopsy at the Regional Forensic Center will be performed to determine the cause of death and assess the child’s injuries in detail.”
Additional details concerning the arrest are contained in an arrest warrant for Dokes obtained by Knoxville-based NBC affiliate WBIR.
Arriving officers reportedly described visible injuries around the baby’s jaw, according to the warrant.
Following his arrest, during an interview while in custody, the defendant allegedly confessed to squeezing his son’s neck and chin out of frustration, the warrant indicates. These actions resulted in the child having difficulty breathing.
The defendant also allegedly admitted to pushing down hard on the child’s abdomen.
An autopsy will be performed on the infant to determine his precise cause of death and the full extent of his injuries, according to WBIR.
Dokes is currently being detained in the Knox County Jail on $1 million bond.
He is next slated to appear in court for a bond hearing on Sept. 15, records show.
