A heartbreaking case out of Camp Springs, Maryland, ended with a 24-year-old man facing murder charges after his four-month-old son, Kairo Brooks, died from severe injuries late last month. Khalil Brooks-Clarke was arrested and charged with first- and second-degree murder along with child abuse after police say the tiny boy suffered blunt force trauma while in his care.
Officers were called just after 12:40 a.m. on Saturday, December 27, to an apartment on the 5400 block of Morris Avenue following reports of an unconscious infant. First responders found Kairo unresponsive and rushed him to a nearby hospital, but the baby was later pronounced dead. An autopsy revealed his death resulted from blunt force trauma, a finding that stunned investigators and left family and neighbors in shock.
Police say Brooks-Clarke was the only caregiver present at the time Kairo was injured. When questioned at the scene, he initially told officers that the baby had trouble breathing and that the child’s mother had recently been incarcerated, leaving him alone to care for their son.
As detectives probed deeper into the case, Brooks-Clarke later admitted to shaking Kairo when the infant’s breathing did not improve. Court documents also show he suggested the injuries could have occurred when he placed the baby down too hard on a couch or during a bath earlier that night.
Investigators also spoke with Kairo’s mother, who confirmed that Brooks-Clarke often became frustrated when the baby cried. She told police he had even recorded videos of himself shaking the infant in those moments of frustration.
Following consultations with the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, authorities charged Brooks-Clarke with multiple counts, including first- and second-degree murder and first- and second-degree child abuse. He is being held without bond at the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections ahead of an upcoming hearing.
Prince George’s County Police Chief George Nader lamented the tragedy, noting that infants like Kairo are among the most vulnerable members of the community and rely completely on adults for their safety. With cases like this, he said, intervention often comes too late to save a life.
Despite the grim nature of the case, police are urging anyone with additional information to come forward. Family services and violence prevention resources have also been highlighted as part of broader efforts to protect children and at-risk families in the region.
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