Editor's note: Details below shed light on a 5-year-old boy's death related to alleged child abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. — A Northwest Indiana man was charged with murder after allegedly beating his girlfriend's young son to death. The mother of the boy was also charged in connection.
Brice Bainum, 32, of Michigan City, is charged with the murder of 5-year-old Augustus "Augie" Williams after police responded to a residence in the 2200 block of Normandy Drive in Michigan City on the morning of March 2.
Court documents paint a harrowing picture of continuous alleged abuse of the boy by Bainum.
The boy's mother, Halie Lewis, 23, found Williams unresponsive on an air mattress at around 6:30 a.m. that morning. Documents allege 911 was not called until approximately 45 minutes later.
Responding EMS workers noted Williams had bruises on his forehead and injuries to his feet and knees.
Williams was taken to Franciscan Hospital and staff there airlifted him to the University of Chicago Medical Center after believing the injuries were related to child abuse, documents state.
A detective immediately began an investigation into the situation and learned from the responding officer that Lewis and Bainum allegedly gave different stories to what happened.
Lewis said that Bainum, who lived with her, was present the entire time after Lewis discovered Williams. Bainum told the officer he was sleeping at the time.
Later that evening, the detective received a call from the University of Chicago Medical Center stating that Williams was not going to survive his injuries and they suspect foul play. The little boy who loved "Spiderman" was pronounced dead at 7:02 p.m.
Two days later, the detective working the case spoke with a witness who reported hearing things from the apartment that morning.
"No, please stop — I will be a good boy," the witness reported hearing from the voice of a little boy. The witness then stated shortly after hearing the boy, she heard water "splashing like someone thrashing in water."
They did not hear anything else after until the ambulance arrived.
The detective received a call from the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office that afternoon stating that Williams suffered fatal head trauma and had abrasions on his scalp, lower back, buttocks and his arms and legs.
Around five minutes later, Lewis and Bainum arrived to the police department for their scheduled official interviews.
Lewis spoke freely without an attorney and Bainum evoked his rights to have an attorney present and was taken into custody.
Lewis told the detective that Bainum has lived with her since last year and would stay home with Williams when she was at work.
The mother initially told police Williams was fine at dinner and put him to bed at around 2 a.m. after realizing how late it was.
At around 6:30 a.m. after staying up with Bainum, she went to check on the boy and found him unresponsive.
She tried multiple options in an attempt to warm Williams up and denied being the person responsible for causing the boy's injuries, documents show. She also stated that Bainum would not do that to him and that Williams "really looked up to Brice."
In Lewis' second interview with police after Bainum refused to speak with them, alleged abuse details came to light against Williams and Lewis herself.
Lewis stated that Bainum allegedly made Williams take a cold shower for "punishment for being disrespectful" before dinner that night.
She observed Bainum in the bathroom with the boy and later saw Williams on the bathroom floor crying.
Court documents allege she stated that Bainum was yelling at Williams and her boyfriend told her that the young boy bit him in the arm.
"F*** you, he is not going to bite me," Bainum allegedly told his girlfriend after Lewis told him to stop hitting the boy and that he hit him "really hard."
She stated that Bainum went to go check on the boy in his room before she did, documents show.
Lewis then described allegedly being coached by Bainum on a story to tell police and described alleged abuse at the hands of him directly.
Lewis alleged that Bainum stated that he would "kill her all the time" and being scared of him. She recalled several alleged incidents of physical, sexual and mental abuse, documents state.
Lewis alleged that she stated they needed to call 911 right away and that Bainum ripped the phone out of her hand and said no.
She stated that Bainum allegedly made the little boy eat hot sauce when he cried and that he isolated her from her friends and family.
The mother was then pressed on why she didn't seek to do more throughout the time Bainum lived with her.
She told police that she was "scared and a coward" and admitted multiple times that she did not seek help when being away from her boyfriend at various times.
Lewis stated the alleged abuse of the boy happened for approximately two months and alleged abuse against her happened for six months.
Authorities charged her with neglect of a dependent on Friday and Bainum was charged with murder on Thursday.
Bainum pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and is facing a $1,000,000 bond. His jury trial is set for Sept. 22, according to court records.
Lewis' bond was set at $100,000 and she pleaded not guilty as well on Tuesday. Her jury trial is set for Sept. 22.
The death of Williams has affected many in the community, including the residents of his apartment complex — Normandy Village.
They quickly set up a large memorial outside of his door which was moved Tuesday to Free Methodist Church in Michigan City.
"Being a first-time mom, my heart breaks for him," resident Alyssa Brinker said. "I go there everyday."
Brinker said the apartment complex is heartbroken and hopes the young boy gets justice.
"Everyday it just grows and grows," she said. "It's heartbreaking but also it's warming for the community to come together for him. He needed the help sooner."
The National Child Abuse Hotline is 800-422-4453.