Suspect in Beating of Baby Could Be Freed From Custody
A Contra Costa County Juvenile Court referee Wednesday agreed to consider releasing a 6-year-old boy charged with attempted murder from Juvenile Hall as long as he lives in a suitable environment.
The boy may be released to his mother because she has moved in with her parents. Or the boy could be released to a foster home away from his neighborhood, said Juvenile Referee Stephen Easton.
It was not immediately clear when Easton would decide the issue.
The kindergartner is charged with breaking into a Richmond apartment and beating and kicking then-4-week-old Ignacio Bermudez Jr. while stealing a Big Wheel tricycle. Charged with robbery were 8-year-old twins, who were with the boy during the attack.
Also Wednesday, Easton appointed two psychiatrists from Children’s Hospital in Oakland to evaluate the 6-year-old. The evaluation is due June 5.
That evaluation could show whether the boy knows the difference between right and wrong and help determine whether the case is handled by the courts or social services, said the boy’s lawyer, John Burris.
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