A 21-year-old Dlonta Khalil Melton has been convicted in the 2017 death of his girlfriend’s toddler daughter.
Melton was found guilty of reckless manslaughter and aggravated child abuse. Both are felony convictions. He was originally charged with murder.
According to the murder indictment issued in 2018, Melton caused the death of Levi by blunt force injury to the head and then withholding medical care. On the aggravated child abuse charge, the indictment said Melton "did willfully torture, willfully abuse, cruelly beat" Levi with blunt force injury to the head.
Man found guilty in death of girlfriend’s toddler daughter
A Jefferson County jury on Monday found Dlonta Khalil Melton guilty of reckless manslaughter and aggravated child abuse. Both are felony convictions. He was originally charged with murder in the 2017 slaying of 2-year-old Levi Ellise Pointer.
www.al.com
A 2-year-old Hoover girl is dead and police now say she was the victim of homicide.
Levi Ellise Pointer died one week ago today - on Thursday, Sept. 21. Hoover police today announced a murder charge against 19-year-old Dlonta Khalil Melton, the boyfriend of Levi's mother.
"This has been a somewhat complicated case and we've been very thorough and methodical in our efforts,'' said Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector. "For five days, Melton told no one that he had knowledge of the injury that caused this poor baby's death. Today we begin the process of holding him accountable for his actions."
Melton, who was the sole caregiver of Levi that day, could not provide any explanation as to what may have caused the child to be in distress.
She was rushed to Children's of Alabama where she was pronounced dead six hours later, at 9:45 p.m. The Jefferson County Coroner's Office, Rector said, determined that Levi suffered a significant skull fracture.
Derrick Pointer, Levi's father, said he is heartbroken at the loss of his only child. "She was just a joy to be around,'' Pointer said. "She was happy all of the time. She put a smile on everybody's face."
Pointer said he wants everyone to remember Levi for the joy that she brought to all. "She was,'' he said, "pretty much perfect."
Hoover girl, 2, dead from skull fracture; suspect jailed
Levi Pointer died one week ago today - on Thursday, Sept. 21. Hoover police today announced a murder charge against 19-year-old Dlonta Khalil Melton, the boyfriend of Levi's mother.
www.al.com
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