WASHINGTON, DC — A 26-year-old man has been charged in the death of a 7-month-old child in Southeast Washington, more than three years after the infant was found unresponsive in a home call. Metropolitan Police said Dion Phelps was arrested Friday and charged with first-degree murder in the killing of King Phelps.
The case dates to the early morning of March 16, 2023, when officers were dispatched to the 1300 block of Morris Road after receiving reports of an unconscious infant. Police said the child was discovered unresponsive after officers arrived. He was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Police responded before dawn to a call on Morris Road
According to police, the emergency call came in just before 2:20 a.m. The location was the 1300 block of Morris Road in Southeast Washington, an area within the District where investigators began treating the death as a suspicious and serious case from the start.
Officers found the infant already unresponsive when they reached the home. Authorities have not described the circumstances that led up to the emergency call, but the child’s age and condition immediately elevated the response. The scene was handled as part of a homicide investigation after the death was confirmed.
Medical examiners ruled the death a homicide
After the infant was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the death was classified as a homicide. Medical investigators determined the cause was complications from blunt force trauma, according to police.
That finding gave detectives a basis for pursuing the case as a violent death rather than an unexplained medical emergency. Police did not release additional details about the injuries, how they occurred, or whether anyone else was present when the child became unresponsive. Those unanswered questions remain part of the public record around the investigation.
Arrest comes more than three years after the killing
The arrest of Phelps marks the first publicly announced charge in a case that had been open since March 2023. Police said the suspect was taken into custody Friday, though officials did not immediately provide details about where the arrest happened or what led detectives to him.
First-degree murder is the most serious homicide charge in the District. The filing of that charge signals that investigators believe the killing was intentional and premeditated, though any final determination will be made through the court process.
The case centers on the death of King Phelps, age 7 months
At the center of the case is King Phelps, who was 7 months old when he died. Police identified the child by name in announcing the arrest, reflecting the gravity of the investigation and the long-running effort to identify a suspect in the infant’s death.
Cases involving the death of a young child often move slowly as investigators gather medical evidence, interview possible witnesses and review the circumstances surrounding the incident. In this case, police have publicly confirmed only the arrest, the charge, and the medical examiner’s ruling, leaving the broader sequence of events sealed behind the investigation.
What remains unanswered as the murder case moves forward
Police have not said whether Phelps had a prior relationship to the child, how investigators linked him to the death, or whether additional charges are expected. Those details often emerge later in court filings, if at all, as homicide cases proceed through the justice system.
For now, the public record is limited to the fatal 2023 incident, the homicide ruling, and the new arrest. The case also underscores how long some violent-death investigations can take before an arrest is made, especially when they involve a young victim and a medical finding that helps establish the cause of death.
