DISTRICT BRIEFING

NORTHWEST

Mother's Boyfriend Charged in Death of Infant

A District man was arrested yesterday in the fatal beating of his girlfriend's 8-month-old son, D.C. police said last night.

Jonathan Austin, 33, who lived with his girlfriend and the boy in the 1200 block of North Capitol Street NW, was charged with second-degree murder. He is scheduled to make his first appearance in D.C. Superior Court today.

The boy, Ronjai Butler, was taken to Howard University Hospital on Sunday by his mother, who reported that the boy was experiencing labored breathing, police said. The boy, who had bruises and other trauma to his torso, was pronounced dead late Sunday afternoon, and the D.C. medical examiner's office ruled the case a homicide.

A social worker had been at the home in December, investigating a complaint about a 9-year-old sibling of Ronjai's, Attorney General Peter Nickles said.

The social worker noted that Ronjai had a heart murmur but was being well taken care of, Nickles said. After an investigation, the social worker determined there were no obvious signs of violence or danger to the children in the household.

The District's Child and Family Services Agency is investigating whether all the proper procedures were followed in the investigation, Nickles said.

-- Paul Duggan and Petula Dvorak

FEDERAL COURT