WATERLOO (AP) — Police say a Waterloo man who called 911 in July to report the drowning of a child in a bathtub has been charged in the child’s death. Police say an autopsy showed 4-year-old Jaheem Harris had been beaten to death. First responders found the child unresponsive in a bed. They found no evidence of drowning, but noticed extensive bruising on his body. Walter C. Williams, 23, has been charged with first-degree murder in the child’s death.
He was arrested Thursday and his bond set at $1 million.
Police say Williams has been in custody since the boy’s death for violating a protection order barring him from contact with the boy’s mother. Williams was convicted of assault for punching the boy’s mother in the face last year.