Man Charged With Attempted Killing of Boy

A 4-year-old twin is comatose and breathing with the help of a respirator, and his mother’s boyfriend could face a murder charge if the child dies, prosecutors said Thursday.

The boyfriend, Fateheen Rahman, 22, of Glendale has been charged with the attempted murder of Jason Thivener and with child abuse involving the boy’s twin sister, Jessica, in connection with events that took place while Rahman was baby-sitting the children at their Van Nuys home on June 12, Deputy Dist. Atty. Lea Purwin D’Agostino said.

Jason is in critical condition at the pediatric intensive care ward at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, where his condition took a turn for the worse when he suffered a stroke over the weekend, prosecutors said.

Jessica was not injured.

Rahman, who has pleaded not guilty, faces a preliminary hearing July 6 on the attempted murder charge. But if Jason dies, D’Agostino said, the charge will be upgraded to murder.

“Right now, the baby is in the hospital and on a ventilator. There has been no improvement,” D’Agostino said.

Authorities said Rahman allegedly choked and slapped Jason after ordering the children to stop crying. He was filling in for the regular baby-sitter when their mother, a 25-year-old woman authorities declined to name, was called to work on her day off.

Rahman is being held on $500,000 bail.