A west Georgia man has been charged in connection with the beating death of his 3-year-old stepson, according to Carroll County jail records.

Joshua David Richards, the 21-year-old son of Carrollton police Chief Joel Richards, was jailed Tuesday after police responded to a report of an injured child at the Hickory Falls Apartments, Villa Rica Capt. Keith Shaddix previously told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The boy’s mother had called 911. Police believe she was sleeping in a nearby room during the attack in which the boy sustained a “severe trauma” to the head.

Richards was previously charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery, first-degree cruelty to children and possession of marijuana, police said.

A murder charge was added after the child died over the weekend.

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Stacey Abrams speaks at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris at Georgia State University’s convocation center in Atlanta on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Abrams is at the center of speculation over whether she will mount a third campaign for governor. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

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