A Baltimore man accused of beating and inflicting burns on his stepson to death in their home received a postponement of his case on Nov. 4.
Johnnie Teague, 51, is charged with first- and second-degree murder, four counts of child abuse, two counts of assault, and reckless engagerment in connection to the death of his 16-year-old stepson last January.
According to charging documents, Teague told police he awoke on Jan. 27, 2024 and found his stepson, Jibreal Payne, at the bottom of the stairs in their home on North Clinton Street. Teague said he then sat Payne up on the couch and left his 18-year-old daughter with him. Though Payne said he was experiencing dizziness and jaw pain, Teague walked away.
Soon after, Teague reported hearing his daughter say Payne had fallen unconscious and stopped breathing. After allegedly performing CPR on Payne, Teague said he instructed his daughter to call 911. Medics arrived and transported Payne to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
At the hospital, a doctor told officers that Payne’s heart was bleeding, there were burn marks on his wrist, and several lacerations. Teague claimed Payne sustained these injuries after burning himself in the shower, and said he treated his son’s wounds with aloe vera, Vaseline, and ibuprofen.
Payne’s mother was notified about her son. She later told officers Teague has full custody of Payne, but provided no paperwork to back up her statement.
An autopsy of Payne’s body revealed the manner of death was a homicide caused by multiple injuries with complications to the body, including brain hemorrhaging, fractured ribs, and numerous burns to the body.
Police interviewed other residents of the house, who claimed that Teague was responsible for Payne’s death. Numerous witnesses advised they witnessed Teague beat and burn Payne, both the night before his death and the morning of the homicide.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland postponed Teague’s pre-trial conference hearing to Nov. 14.
