The mother of a 3-year-old boy and her boyfriend are facing capital murder charges after the woman’s son died on Sunday. The boy had been hospitalized in critical condition since October for several injuries that police say were the result of physical abuse.
McKinney Police said Tuesday that Dawson Zamora was taken off life support and was pronounced deceased at 10:42 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 7.
On Oct. 14, McKinney Police were called to Medical City McKinney by hospital staff who said a boy’s injuries were inconsistent with the explanation provided by the man who brought him to the hospital. Hospital staff reported the child had severe brain trauma, bleeding in the brain, bruising in various states of healing over his body and wounds to his chest, stomach and genitalia.
An arrest warrant affidavit obtained by NBC 5 said 30-year-old Christopher Thomas Alexander brought an unresponsive child to the hospital with serious injuries. According to the document, he said he found the child after hearing a “thud.”
The boy’s mother, 31-year-old Chelsea Berg, told police she left the child with Alexander at about 7:20 a.m. and later received a text saying the child was eating lunch. Berg said Alexander called her in a panic after lunch and said he was taking the child to the hospital.
When Berg arrived at the hospital, she told police Alexander told her about the “thud” and offered no other explanation for what happened. The woman was shown photos of her son’s injuries, and “she was adamant he did not have those injuries when she left work and left him in Alexander’s care.”
Alexander and Berg were both charged with felony injury to a child. She was freed after posting $100,000 bond. In addition to the injury charge, Alexander was charged with tampering with evidence after investigators said he knowingly attempted to clean a crime scene after the child was harmed.
After the child died on Sunday, the charges for the injury to a child against both Berg and Alexander were changed to capital murder of a person under 10. Alexander has been in custody since his arrest on Oct. 14. Berg was rearrested on Dec. 8. Bond amount on the murder charge has not yet been set for either Berg or Alexander, and it’s unclear if either has an attorney to speak on their behalf.
