Baltimore, Maryland cop Eric Banks Jr. is charged with first- and second-degree murder and child abuse in the death of his teenage stepson Dasan Jones, Anne Arundel County Police said.
Jones’s body was found by police inside an attic crawlspace of Banks’ home in Curtis Bay on July 6. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Dasan Jones cause of death as asphyxiation on Tuesday.
His funeral was held on Monday in Pasadena.
Police said Banks consented to a search of his house after police were called there for a custody dispute involving the teen’s mother. Banks initially told them his stepson left the home without any belongings.
Chief Amal Awad said Banks was “very deceptive” when police questioned him further.
Officers found Jones, also known as DJ, in the crawlspace after Banks submitted to a search of his house.
Anne Arundel County police arrested Banks after they said he became “combative” and tried to grab one of their officer’s weapons. He faces a number of charges.
Bodycam footage that is part of the investigation will not be released.
Banks’ attorney, Warren Brown, said he is pleading not guilty. Brown contends this was a suicide and that Banks’ stepson killed himself, and that Banks was waiting for police to leave and then he was going to kill himself.
When police didn’t leave, Banks tried to commit suicide by cop, Brown said.
Awad said Jones was a student at Glen Burnie High School.
“This was a young man with a bright future,” said Awad. “DJ had just completed his freshman year in the biomedical Allied Health Program at Glenburnie High School. He took great pride and excelled in his academics, he was a magnet student and was an accomplished violinist.”
Banks, who has been on the Baltimore police force for three years, was suspended without pay after Jones died. Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said Banks’ police powers had already been suspended over a prior incident.
“The alleged actions of Officer Banks are not only deplorable, but shocking to the conscience. 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,” said Harrison in a Wednesday statement. “Our department will continue to work closely with the Anne Arundel County Police Department during this ongoing investigation.”
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