DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) — A 9-year-old Detroit boy who prosecutors say died from untreated pneumonia also had multiple broken bones at the time of his death, scars all over his body and was likely in agonizing pain.
Watch Ross Jones's video report:
That’s according to testimony provided Tuesday before 36th District Court Judge Shawn Jacque in the preliminary exam of Sherman and Sampagvita Jones, the stepparents of Owen Roserio.
“There were a lot of marks from pretty much head to toe, all over his body, front to back,” said Detroit Police officer Ibn-Ameera Shakoor, who viewed Roserio’s body at the hospital. “There was bruising on the back of his head, almost like bedsores. And on his backside.”
RELATED: A Michigan boy’s bruises, black eyes were reported to CPS for months. Then he was killed.
Just hours earlier, Roserio’s stepparents told police that he had been sick.
“They said Owen was doing a lot of coughing,” Shakoor said. “They tried to put him in the shower for the steam to get into his system, but he had passed out so they called EMS.”
But police and prosecutors argue this case was much more than just a simple illness.
Rather, they allege that Roserio was tortured, abused and ultimately killed by his stepparents—both licensed foster parents—and that warnings to Children’s Protective Services went unheeded.
Martha Waller, the mother of defendant Sherman Jones, took the stand Tuesday and acknowledged calling CPS in June of 2023 over concerns about Roserio.
RELATED: CPS cleared Michigan mom months before she set fire to home with daughters inside
She said she asked for a welfare check after growing concerned that she had not seen the boy in some time.
According to a warrant request submitted by Detroit Police, Waller told officers that during a visit in 2023, “she observed both of Owen's hands were burnt. She asked her son about the burns, and he told her Owen burnt his hands when he pulled oatmeal out of the microwave. She said prior to her husband passing 2023, she saw bruising on Owen's back. She said almost every time she saw Owen, he had marks on his face."
But on the stand Tuesday, Waller’s testimony was more subdued.
“You had seen some marks on his face, is that correct?” asked defense attorney Adam Clements, representing Sherman Jones.
“Yes, some marks,” Waller said.
“Were the marks of a condition that you felt that they were alarming to you?” Clements asked.
“No,” Waller said.
Asked Clements: “In your experience raising children, is it abnormal for little boys to have marks or scrapes on their face?” Waller replied: “No.”
RELATED: Detroit boy told CPS his mom wanted 'to kill him' months before prosecutors say she did
According to Detroit Police, Waller’s call to CPS was one of two instances where the agency was alerted that Roserio could be in harm’s way.
According to the warrant request submitted in the case, DPD wrote that “Child Protective Services has recorded that on June 13, 2023, the victim had bruises on his body. On June 18, 2023, the victim had a suspected burn on his hand, was malnourished, underweight and hungry. CPS rejected both complaints and had no Law Enforcement referral."
A spokesperson for CPS could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.
Also taking the stand was Dr. Bradley Norat from Children’s Hospital, an expert witness in child abuse pediatrics.He examined Owen’s body, finding evidence of a fractured arm, hand and rib.
“The injuries that we see are highly concerning for non-accidental trauma,” Norat said.
During his testimony, Norat viewed images of x-rays of broken bones found throughout Roserio’s body.
He said the 9-year-old suffered from an avulsion fracture where “bone was torn off his upper arm bone.”
Dr. Norat said Owen had scars visible all over his body and that he suffered from pneumonia at the time that he died.
“Would he have been able to cough without pain?” asked Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Brittany Johnson.
“Rib fractures are very painful. So coughing, taking a deep breath, those are things that would be difficult for him,” Dr. Norat said.
Norat testified that Roserio would have likely lived had he been given treatment for his pneumonia weeks earlier.
Testimony Tuesday concluded before Dr. Norat could be cross-examined. The preliminary exam is set to continue Wednesday.
Contact 7 Investigator Ross Jones at ross.jones@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466.
