Raleigh father charged with felony child abuse, murder in 5-year-old son’s death
A Raleigh man has been arrested after allegedly killing his 5-year-old son.
On Sunday evening, Raleigh police were alerted to a child who had been taken to UNC Hospitals after being assaulted and abused.
His father, 24-year-old Amir Devon Hines, was arrested and charged with felony intentional child abuse causing serious bodily injury.
On Monday, the boy died from his injuries. Hines was charged with murder and could be sentenced to death if convicted, a judge said at a hearing Wednesday.
‘He was my bop-bop,’ says grandmother
The boy, Karter Holloway, died from a brain hemorrhage.
“He was always happy, he would just bop. Just bop around all the time. He was my ‘bop-bop’,” Tiffani Holloway, the boy’s maternal grandmother, told ABC11, The News & Observer’s news-gathering partner.
Holloway said Karter was a loving child who was autistic and non-verbal. She said he loved superheroes and shoes, and had a 2-year-old sister.
Holloway told the station that Hines told them Karter had fallen off his bike.
Warrant describes boy’s injuries
A warrant obtained by The N&O said Karter was so badly beaten that it caused a brain hemorrhage and major brain swelling.
It also states the boy was struck so severely it caused a midline shift of his brain.
“A midline shift occurs when the pressure exerted by the buildup of blood and swelling around the damaged brain tissues is powerful enough to push the entire brain off-center,” according to the medical website verywell.com. “This is considered a medical emergency and is an ominous sign.”
Police have not said if there was a history of child abuse in the home.
This was the second child homicide in Wake County in recent weeks.
On Dec. 21, Priyanka Tiwari was charged with starving and killing her 10-year-old son.
To report child abuse or neglect
Call: 919-212-7990 (English) 919-212-7963 (Espanol)
Business Hours: Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
After regular business hours, weekends and on holidays, call 911 and say you want to make a CPS report.
This story was originally published January 2, 2024 at 2:58 PM.