Deandre Pettus, 34, from the District of Columbia, faces charges of first-degree murder following the alleged fatal beating of his son, Deandre Pettus Jr. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Court documents indicate that on October 6, 2024, at 9:44 a.m., officers from the Metropolitan Police Department responded to a report of an unconscious child in an apartment located in the 4500 block of Connecticut Avenue NW.
U.S. Secret Service officers were first to arrive at the scene and began CPR on the five-year-old boy. DC Fire and EMS took over upon arrival but were unable to revive him. The child was pronounced dead despite these efforts.
At the scene, officers arrested Pettus, initially charging him with first-degree cruelty to children. The boy's body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner where his death was initially ruled undetermined.
On July 11, 2025, Pettus appeared in DC Superior Court facing charges of First Degree-Felony Murder and cruelty to children before Judge Todd Edelman. A jury trial is set for March 1, 2027.
The case is under investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecution is being led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emma McArthur.
