Babysitter indicted after infant killed in West Carrollton

WEST CARROLLTON — UPDATE: 2 p.m.

Charles Pulley III, 18, was indicted Thursday for causing the death of an infant in West Carrollton.

The 6-week-old belonged to his girlfriend, and was killed in August from blunt force trauma to her head.

The Grand Jury has indicted Pulley for two counts of murder, one count of felonious assault, one count of involuntary manslaughter, and two counts of endangering children.

The defendant is currently in the Montgomery County Jail, and is being held on 250,000 dollar bond.

He will be arraigned on Tuesday, February 9th at 8:30 a.m., according to Prosecuting Attorney Mat Heck, Jr.

INITIAL REPORT:

A West Carrollton teen facing seven felonies after a one-month girl was killed in August will have to post a $250,000 bond if he wants to get out of jail before trial.

Averi Grabans died at Dayton Children’s Hospital on Aug. 23 from blunt force trauma to her head. Her death was ruled a homicide, said Montgomery County Coroner Kent Harshbarger.

>> Funeral services announced for baby killed in West Carrollton homicide

Charles Pulley III, 18, is charged with murder, felonious assault, endangering children, involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. If he posts bond he will be under electronic home detention after being released from jail.

On Aug. 20, Graban’s mother left work to come home and take the infant to the hospital after receiving a text message from Pulley according to court records.

The text message contained a photo that made Grabans’ mother believe the infant needed to go to the hospital immediately.

Family members said Grabans was hurt while Pulley was babysitting her.

“He hurt her,” Grabans’ grandmother Tracie Buckley told News Center 7 in August. “I don’t even know if I can handle knowing exactly what he did to her if it comes out.”

Buckley told News Center 7 Grabans’ organs were donated, including her heart and liver, and they are thankful part of her will help another child live.

“She stayed strong. She kept her little heart strong, so she could give it to somebody else,” Buckley said.

New court records obtained by News Center 7 showed that Grabans’ mother noticed first noticed bruises on the infant the night before she took her to the hospital, when she picked her up from Pulley’s house.

Police said the mother asked Pulley about the bruises and “he made her believe the bruises were caused by the car seat” and would also later tell her Grabans’ “may be allergic to something.”

The mother took Grabans back to Pulley’s house the next day, which is the same day she received the text message of the photo that caused her to take the infant to the hospital.

West Carrollton police said they were called to Dayton Children’s Hospital after staff there reported injuries Grabans. That same call prompted an assault investigation at an apartment in the 100 block of East Shannon Avenue, according to police records.

Police learned that Grabans “was treated for head/brain trauma” and that her “skull was fractured” when they responded to the hospital. She would die a couple of days later.

Pulley was arrested by the U.S. Marshal’s Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team and the West Carrollton Police Department.

Cox Media Group