The 4-year-old girl allegedly raped and beaten by her teenage cousin died Friday afternoon at the Johns Hopkins Hospital Children?s Center.
Ronald Hinton, 15, who was accused of rape and sexual abuse, had “temporary custody” of the victim for at least three days prior to his Thursday arrest, court documents allege. Hinton told police that he had been baby-sitting his cousinsince Monday.
He was denied bail on Friday and was ordered by a judge to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
According to charging documents, doctors told police the victim had “minimal brain activity” when she was admitted to the hospital in critical condition Thursday.
Hinton initially told police the girl had “fallen off the bed,” but later confessed to raping and beating her in an upstairs bedroom in northeast Baltimore, at one point chasing her downstairs to “retrieve” her, the charging documents said. He also told police he used a belt to beat her. The victim sustained multiple injuries to the head, neck, chest and thigh.
Hinton, who was charged with first-degree rape, second- and third-degree sexual abuse, first- and second-degree assault and child abuse, has been charged as an adult.
Hinton, who has no criminal record, is the son of Sean Hinton, a Baltimore City Police cadet who was found dead floating in the water off the southern tip of Manhattan in 1992. His body, discovered after he had been missing for 10 days, was found in the water with his wrists tied together in front of his body. The death ? ruled a suicide ? received considerable media attention, with Hinton?s family claiming he was the victim of foul play.
Prosecutors said they are reviewing the case. A pretrial hearing is set for Tuesday.
