Little Boy Thrown In Dumpster Had Been Brutally Beaten to Death: DA

PANORAMA CITY, CA — A 20-year-old man accused of stalking a mother, killing her young child and then dumping his body in a dumpster in the San Fernando Valley has been charged with murder.

Prosecutors say Brycson Malik Gaddis beat five-year-old Elyjiah Hearn to death at an apartment in the 14500 block of Lanark Street in Panorama City on July 11. The boy's body was found the following day in a commercial parking lot dumpster.

Gaddis was charged Friday with one count each of murder and assault on a child causing death, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. If convicted, he could be sentenced to a maximum of 25 years to life in prison.

“This is truly a heartbreaking and horrific case, and our deepest sympathies go out to the young victim’s family,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement Friday.“We are committed to seeking justice and will ensure this defendant is held responsible for his actions.”

Five people, including the boy's mother, were detained for questioning after the boy's body was discovered. Authorities told the Los Angeles Times that the boy suffered a broken jaw, fractured ribs and a lacerated liver when he was beaten.

On Wednesday, police took Gaddis into custody on suspicion of murder.

The boy's grandfather, Troy Hearn Sr., said Gaddis was the boy's mother's ex-boyfriend and that he had been stalking her, according to the Los Angeles Times. He then kidnapped her and the child.

"It's very heartbreaking for him to do that to my 5-year-old grandson," Hearn Sr. told The Times. "I'm identifying the body this afternoon. I'm overwhelmed and so angry that I can't even explain it. This guy is a bad guy and it's lucky that the police has him."