The drug-addled Connecticut man charged with viciously beating his 6-year-old stepson with a baseball bat was forced to wear a spit mask in court Thursday — as he learned he now faces life in prison without parole in the boy’s tragic murder.
Abdulrahim Sulaiman, 38, who has spat at court officers in the past, is now charged with murder and murder with special circumstances — which carries the stiff prison sentence — in the Sept. 25 beatdown that also left his wife and her younger son with serious injuries, the Connecticut Post reported.
“He’s a monster and should be locked away for life,” Anna Escobar, the dead boy’s aunt, told the outlet outside the courthouse.
“We want to know why it happened, why my nephew got beaten to death,” added another aunt, Jasmin Escobar. “We want answers from [the state Department of Children and Families] as well.
“They knew there were problems in that house but didn’t do anything, and we want to know why.”
Sulaiman, who also faces attempted murder and assault charges, went berserk on his family with a baseball bat in hand after smoking angel dust, according to authorities.
All three victims were seriously injured, but Jathan Escobar had wounds that were so severe, brain matter was visible on his bloodied head when police arrived.
The youngster clung to life for a week before dying, according to police.
Sulaiman was previously facing three counts of attempted murders and gun possession charges.
In Bridgeport Judicial District Court on Thursday, Sulaiman stood before the judge handcuffed and wearing a beige gown — with the spit mask covering his entire head.
Despite his assurances he would behave, authorities were taken no chances given his past outbursts.
“Don’t worry,” the accused killer told the Judge Tracy Lee Dayton. “I’m not going to misbehave.”
The murder with special circumstances charge was created after the state did away with the death penalty. It carries a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
According to the Connecticut Post, Bridgeport police responded to the family home after receiving numerous 911 calls about a man “severely assaulting” a woman and her children.
Sulaiman allegedly jumped form a window and into a dumpster head-first as cops arrived.
One cop reported seeing the accused killer muttering to himself at the scene with blood dripping from his arms and hands, when a neighbor fingered him for the officer.
“That’s him,” they said. “Don’t let him get away.”
Detectives later interviewed his battered wife at St. Vincent’s Medical Center, and told them that Sulaiman had been smoking angel dust, threatened the family with a gun and beat them with a bat.
Cops later found a .22-caliber handgun inside the apartment.
The case has raised questions about the state’s child care services agency, which acknowledged last week that the agency had “interacted” with the family about two months ago, the outlet reported.
In a statement, DCF Commissioner Jodi Hill-Lilly called the incident “shocking and horrendous.”
However, Jathan’s family is still demanding answers.
“I just feel that someone failed this family and that this could have been prevented,” Anna Escobar said.
The Connecticut State Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
