San Diego : SANTEE : Man Arraigned in Death of Child
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Appearing in court with a neck brace and bruises on his face from a jailhouse altercation, a Santee man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of murdering his girlfriend’s 13-month-old son.
Mark Jerome Broocker, 27, is being held in lieu of $1 million bail after being charged with murdering Richard Steven White on Saturday.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Madruga said the coroner has been unable to determine the cause of the child’s death, but an autopsy revealed a host of injuries including a lacerated liver and spleen. The injuries indicate that the boy was both beaten and shaken, the prosecutor said.
Broocker, who identified himself as an unemployed construction worker, had been living with the boy’s mother, Brenda White, at her Woodside Avenue residence for about two months.
A preliminary hearing in the case is set for Dec. 18.
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