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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (TCD) — A man already serving life in prison for the 2018 death of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son recently received an additional 50 years in the case.
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy announced Feb. 14 that a judge sentenced Alan Johnson to 25 years in prison for aggravated child abuse and another 25 years for aggravated child neglect, to be served consecutively in their entirety. He was previously given an automatic life sentence in January for murder in perpetration of aggravated child abuse and murder in perpetration of aggravated child neglect.
In October 2018, Johnson was caring for the young boy while his mother was at work. The toddler had been picked up from day care and within two hours, he had to be rushed to LeBonheur Children’s Hospital in cardiac arrest.
Medical staff determined the boy suffered abdominal trauma, numerous broken ribs in different stages of healing, a skull fracture, and subdural hemorrhaging to both sides of the head, according to the district attorney’s office. The medical examiner identified three areas of impact on the boy.
Johnson reportedly argued the injuries happened while “playfully tossing the child into the air and catching him awkwardly.”
According to an earlier news release obtained by the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Johnson said as the toddler came down, the boy fell, and he caught him by the ankle. He allegedly said he swung the child to prevent him from hitting the ground when the toddler’s “head went back,” and he became unresponsive. However, the district attorney’s office said investigators obtained medical evidence that did not match Johnson’s claims.
Johnson also reportedly claimed the child never went into his “man cave,” a shed he used as his “personal space,” but investigators found the victim’s day care shoe there.
According to the district attorney’s office, during a search of the house, officials located a diaper covered in the child’s blood, “suggesting prolonged injuries before paramedics were called.”
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