Baltimore police officer charged with murdering his 15-year-old stepson

(The AEGIS Alliance) – A cop in Baltimore is facing a murder charge in the death of his 15-year-old stepson as well as concealing the boy’s body in an attic room crawl area, officials said.

The cop, 34-year-old Eric Banks Jr. was at first facing charges of assault on a law enforcement officer, and also attempting to disarm a fellow cop. Not long after that, charges consisting of first and second-degree murder and also child abuse leading to death had been tacked on, court documents show.

Banks has been jailed without bail.

Last week in the course of a search at Banks’ residence in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, detectives uncovered Dasan Jones’ body after his mom tipped off authorities that she was not able to reach her boy when she called his phone.

Jones’s mom, that is married to Banks, informed police she believed her son was being held against his will, WBAL TV reported.

Detectives additionally discovered blood-spattered clothing concealed inside a dresser.

“This is absolutely a heartbreaking, traumatic, and horrific case,” Anne Arundel County police Chief Amal Awad stated. “This was a young man with a bright future yet his life … was tragically taken.”

Not long after law enforcement officers arrested banks, he lunged to tried to get hold of a fellow cop’s firearm, police said.

While the scuffle was happening, Banks asked a cop to strangle him and also stated, “My life is over.”

The medical examiner uncovered that Jones’ cause of death was actually a murder by way of asphyxiation.

During the month of June, cops had been called to Banks’ house after his spouse asked to place a restraining order on her hubby. She affirmed that Banks had psychologically and emotionally mistreated her and that he had been stalking her.

Meanwhile, Banks’ lawyer Warren Brown, has continued to claim his client is innocent, The Baltimore Sun wrote. Brown said Banks discovered Jones lifeless in a bathtub and believed his stepson committed suicide.

Banks, who’s been employed by the Baltimore Police Department for three years, had already been placed on administrative leave with no pay for an unrevealed reason. Authorities said there is currently an ongoing internal affairs investigation.

After Banks was apprehended, the department suspended Banks with no pay while the investigation in Anne Arundel County proceeded.

“The alleged actions of Officer Banks are not only deplorable but shocking to the conscience,” Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael S. Harrison stated.

“This is a classic example of why I have advocated for the autonomy and authority to terminate officers when they are facing heinous criminal allegations. Our department will continue to work closely with the Anne Arundel County Police Department during this ongoing investigation.”

Jeffrey Childers – The AEGIS Alliance – This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.