Memorial to Dominick Calhoun, 4-year-old Tortured to Death
Four-year-old Dominick Calhoun left this world on Monday, April 12, 2010, after suffering four days of God awful torture, allegedly at the hands of his mother’s boyfriend, Brandon Hayes.
Dominick lived in an apartment with his mom, Corrine Baker, his brother, Tyler, and Corrine’s boyfriend, Brandon Hayes, South of Flint, Michigan.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
According to Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell, Dominick wet his pants while sitting on the sofa on Thursday, April 8th, angering Hayes, who allegedly began savagely beating poor young Dominick.
Said Sheriff Pickell, supposedly “he was trying to give a sense of discipline to little Dominick.”
Pickell said that Hayes then turned his anger toward Corrine, Dominick’s mother, striking her in the face and pulling out chunks of her hair. As he allegedly beat Corrine, Hayes complained about who was going to pay for the sofa.
The beating resumed on Friday when Hayes allegedly kicked four-year-old Dominick in the head and in the genitals, again…and again. Many times during the beating Corrine tried to protect her son by covering him with her body, but that simply turned Hayes’ rage toward her instead.
According to the police investigation Hayes screamed at Corrine that he was tired of raising the boy and Dominick deserved to die, calling Dominick “just a little crack head.” Pickell said that “she (Corrine) did crack while carrying (Dominick).” Hayes also complained that they were not receiving any money from Dominick’s father to help care for him.
On Saturday Dominick lay in bed in a listless state until Hayes dragged the little boy from his bed by his arm. Hayes then allegedly once again started beating Dominick. “He hit and kicked him again and again,” Pickell said, even though the boy was in an unconscious condition.
On Sunday, April 11, when Christine Baker, Corrine’s younger sister, dropped by to buy drugs, she realized what Hayes was doing to Corrine and Dominick. Christine informed Richard Calhoun, Dominick’s paternal grandfather, who brought in the police.
When Dominick arrived at the hospital, he was pronounced brain dead and was placed on life support. On Monday, April 12, he was removed from life support and Dominick passed away.
Doctors said that Dominick had repeatedly been kicked in the genitals and head over and over again. They told Sheriff Pickell that Hayes had poked at the boy’s eyes with his thumbs and fingers. Doctors had to remove a portion of Dominick’s skull because his brain was swollen so badly.
“This case goes beyond torture,” said Pickell. For the police officers involved in the investigation Pickell said this has been gut wrenching.
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said, “This was simply a vicious killing, bad as anything you could imagine. The pictures are indescribable.”
“I think everyone with the law enforcement community and the prosecutor’s office has been shaken by what we’ve seen over the last several days. It’s our job to see that justice is rained down upon the perpetrators of these crimes. We have probable cause for each charge.”
Leyton said this type of torture charge is not common, “It’s rare. This cried out for the torture charge.”
Hayes has been arraigned on nine counts, including torture, three counts of felony murder, child abuse, assault, and lesser drug charges.
Following her release from the hospital, Corrine Baker was arrested and released pending further investigation. Dominick’s older brother Tyler was placed in protective custody.
A memorial page to Dominick has been set up on Facebook.
Posted on April 17, 2010, in abuse, crime, News and tagged Brandon Hayes, child, Corrine Baker, death, Dominic Calhoun, murder, News, torture. Bookmark the permalink. 23 Comments.
A woman as pretty as Corrine Baker did not have to settle for an abusive man like Brandon Hayes. But Corrine is clearly a drug addict, and, unfortunately, she probably chose Brandon because of the easy access to drugs. Especially unfortunate for Dominick Calhoun. RIP little guy.
McCafferty Himself
A little boy dies and all your concerned with is how pretty Corrine is and her choice in men? I’m sure this wasn’t the first time he raised a hand to the boy and if her children were her number one priority she should have left then!! She is just as guilty as he is!!! I have no pity for the woman as she may not have physically put a hand on Dominic but she gave him the death sentence! I have two boys of my own the same age as hers and I would’ve died right beside him protecting him….not leaving them alone with him!!
@disgusted: my point was that Corrine is pretty enough to have nearly any man she wanted, but she chose an abusive man who ended up killing her child. If she had not chosen Hayes for a mate lil’ Dominick would still be alive. That is my point, not how pretty she is. Her choice of mate is what killed little Dominick.
A woman as pretty as Corrine Baker? Pretty has nothing to do with anything, plus how can any one be considered pretty when they’ve done such as she did? However, I assure you Hayes will get what’s coming to him. Some of us happen to have friends in “higher,” or shall I say, the “right,” places. The pencil has been moved.
Not only did this mother allow this to happen she had left the house several times including on Friday when her parents took her to the doctors and she never not once told them what was going on plus she LEFT HIM with Brandon all by himself. Please DO NOT stick up for this monster as she is just as guilty as the piece of trash sorry for life human Brandon and should be sitting in jail to rot. She was on our local news with 2 black eyes and a couple cuts on her face and that was all. So if she was protecting her child like she says she would be much worse off then she was. Corrine Baker need to rot in hell.
This is such a tragic story. The mother is just as much to blame for not keeping this piece of (deleted) away from sweet little Dominick. His mother was supposed to protect him no matter what. I read in another article on this story that stated the “so-called” mother tried to stop the abuse and got hit herself and that she wishes now it was her that was dead instead of Dominick and my response to that is that is a (deleted) story because the abuse started Thursday and ended with his death on Monday….this woman had plenty of time to alert someone of what was going on or at least get Dominick out of that house. Instead she sat by and let this ugly, incompetent (deleted) take her precious little boy away. He was hitting her….boo hoo….that’s when you get a knife and stab the son of a (deleted)….no excuse for this and I hope the mother lives with this agony on a minute to minute basis because she deserves it……she should have never had kids if she wasn’t going to protect them. As for the (deleted) boyfriend I hope someone tortures and murders him and makes him suffer just as much, if not more than that little boy did. RIP little Dominick. You will remain in our hearts and your death will not be in vain.
Comment edited for profanity by admin.
This poor child’s mother obviously holds much of the blame for Dominick’s death as well. It has been reported here in MI, that the boyfriend had hit the children before, and had recently put Dominick’s hand in water hot enough to leave a burn. AND YET she let this animal live with her. He violently beat the child AND YET she left the house with her parents the next day. She could have called 911 but she called her mother instead…before her boyfriend flushed the sim card. She let her older son out to play…and did not tell him to get help. She could have beat Hayes upside the head with any heavy object, screamed for help, threw a chair through the window, set the couch on fire, drugged Hayes (lord knows there were enough drugs there) AND YET she allowed her child to be beaten until he lost all of his teeth, burned on his hand and genitals, tortured again and again…even being pulled out of the bed unresponsive, and all in front of the eight year old. WHY???????? Most likely so she wouldn’t “get in trouble” for drugs I’m thinking, or she didn’t want to lose her “great guy”. She needs to go to jail, she should feel like a complete failure and the blood of Dominick’s life is on her hands. RIP Dominick, I’m sorry your short life turned into such a nightmare.
Glad this story was posted but at the same time I agree with “disgusted” what is the point about stating her beauty? Sure she could have had any man but she didn’t she chose one that caused this horrific death of her child. And I am sure this was not the first time he was abusive to that baby boy. I am astounded by your choice of words.
Who cares if she was pretty this lady has major issues she allowed this man to put his hands on her child. A mother does everything in her power to protect her children she was clearly not being a mother. She had a choice she could have given up the drugs if not for herself then for her children. She needs to rot in jail alongside the man she chose over her own flesh and blood.
No sympathy for this women NONE.
I hope they throw the book at both of them of course I know she will try and play the sympathy card on being abused her self. But she looks smart enough to know she should have left this guy a long time ago.
Tanto la madre como el novio de la madre deben ir presos de por vida. Y eso tampoco le devuelve la vida al niño. Ya tendrán el castigo divino, pq el terrenal no es suficiente.
I got to bed praying every night that my mother (who passed away when I was 19), is holding and cradling that little boy every night before she tucks him in and kisses him goodnight. At least now that prescious child is loved and cared for in the best way. On the topic of that horrible man who hurt this inocent child, may he rot in hell. I truley beleive that he will get his in prison. There are a lot of sickos in prison but inmates don’t put up with child mollestation, women abuse and especially not abuse to a child and I will bet money on the fact that he will get his. I also think that his mother is just as guilty if not more guilty. May god have mercy on the person that hurts my child, because sure wont!
She is not a mother. No mother would allow someone to beat their child. I am sick and heartbroken as i read this story. If this womans boyfriend gets sick, he will be taken well care of. If he gets a headache, they will give him and aspirin. He will be given three meals a day and free health coverage. That makes me very, very angry.
Dominic, You will not be forgotten.
First of all I dont care about her choice of boyfriend, I dont care that she was a drug addict………..what I do care about is that she didnt stop him from hurting that baby. she didnt get a knife and stab him, didnt call 9-1-1, didnt yell and didnt run. i wouldve set my house on fire to get him to stop. sure she says she layed on him to protect him but when the anger turned toward her she stopped interfering? so asiclly she gave him the okay just aslong as Brandon didnt beat her. Over my dead body would be the only way my child would be dead!She needs to be in a jail cell too, if a parent isnt willing to protect they baby then who will
People are getting meaner and meaner everyday. This is sad…
The mother should rot in a jail cell along with the monster who did this, she is an ugly woman who can say shes a pretty woman, she is ugly on the inside which makes her ugly on the outside. I would die to protect my children and she didnt do nearly enough, as far as im conserned she killed him. Definitly just as guilty! Dom buddy im so sorry and I hope you are pain free and wraped in Jesus arms and I hope you are dancing up in heaven. Justice will be served little man!
Im sick over this it is the saddest thing Ive ever heard she is not a mother or pretty she is a dumb crack whore!!! Who deserves to go to jail forever,with that piece of crap!!
poor baby:( may he rest in peace…
i am only a kid, and i know that dominic should NOT have been beaten up. Corrine has no good taste in men to not see how violent he is. R.I.P dominic. we will all miss you. you will always be in our hearts.
This mother is guilty of murder jsut as the boyfriend, why was she released. I can’t find anything recent about this. They should both be slowly hanged to death. This is also a good example about how poorly women think of themselves, that they ahve to put up with a devil like this to just have a man in the house women are perfect without men, and more and more people should be given forced birth control and intelligence tests should be give before being allowed to become pregnant. Too many children all over the world are suffering; child slaves are everywhere, for one thing, gathering the cocoa that makes the chocolate that we scarf down. It’s disgusting, the whole world is sick.
Pingback: Update to Dominick Calhoun: Mother Left and Returned during Beating « McCafferty Himself
Pingback: Photo of Stillborn Baby Wins Aussie Photo Contest « McCafferty Himself
Pingback: Teen Gang Jumps, Brutally Beats 73-year-old – Caught on Video « McCafferty Himself
Pingback: Judge Frees Koua Fong Lee Due to New Evidence « McCafferty Himself
Pingback: DOMINICK RICHARD CALHOUN « Stolen Lives