Evansville father accused of battering 3-month-old son

EVANSVILLE — Police arrested a 22-year-old Evansville man on Sunday after he allegedly beat his 3-month-old son so severely that the boy had to be airlifted out of Evansville to undergo medical treatment.

That's according to the Evansville Police Department, who identified the boy's father as Ali Saadiq Murray. Public records show that Murray was booked into the Vanderburgh County jail Sunday afternoon on one preliminary count of "battery, adult on a person less than 14 years old," a Level 3 felony.

Murray's arrest came after he had watched his son for a period of time and then returned them to their mother suffering from what appeared to be unexplained injuries, EPD Sgt. Taylor Merriss wrote in a news release. The boy's mother reportedly told investigators that she noticed "numerous bruises" on her son's body after Murray dropped him off, prompting them to go to Deaconess Gateway Hospital.

"At the hospital, medical staff conducted tests and x-rays revealing the child had multiple brain bleeds, fractures to his skull, both legs and right arm," Merriss wrote in the news release. "The child had a busted lip (and) bruising to the gums, forehead, neck and stomach area. The child was then life-flighted for more extensive medical treatment."

Detectives interviewed Murray at EPD headquarters on Sunday. According to investigators, Murray claimed to know nothing about his son's injuries when confronted by the boy's mother and continued to deny having knowledge of them during the police interview.

Murray reportedly said he had spent Saturday evening with his son and his girlfriend, whom the police did not name, and that he returned his son to his mother after he could not get him to fall asleep. At one point during the interview, Murray is alleged to have quipped that his girlfriend was "the number one suspect," not himself, because she had sent a text message regarding a "sore" on the boy's lip.

Merriss said that Murray "didn't say much" and "showed little emotion" when detectives told him the extent of the injuries his son had suffered.

"As a result of the interviews and evidence, Murray was arrested for battery," Merriss wrote.

According to court records, a Vanderburgh County judge ordered Murray to be held at the jail on a $50,000 bond. Murray is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Thursday morning.

Houston Harwood can be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville father accused of severely beating 3-month-old son