Mason Hunt - Mom, Boyfriend Charged With 2-Year-Old Delaware County Boy's Beating & Murder

Mom, Boyfriend Charged With 2-Year-Old Delaware County Boy's Beating & Murder (Video)

By  Vince Lattanzio

Updated at 12:18 AM EDT on Saturday, Apr 18, 2015


Mason Hunt, 2, died after suffering severe beatings, police said. His mother and her boyfriend are charged with his murder.
Photo credit: NBC10

A Delaware County, Pennsylvania mother and her boyfriend have been charged with the murder of a 2-year-old toddler who suffered more than 120 bruises from beatings before being found unresponsive face down in a bathtub, prosecutors said.

Shannon Matthews, 30, and 31-year-old Daniel Grafton were charged Friday with third-degree murder, aggravated assault and related offenses in the February 3 death of the woman's son, Mason Hunt.

"Satan is living inside of them," said Carol Patterson, Mason's aunt. "They are not people, they are not human beings, they are animals."

Grafton, who was babysitting, brought the boy into a doctor's office below their Norwood apartment, where Matthews worked, that afternoon saying he was not breathing, according to prosecutors. The boy had a number of bruises on his head and upper body, prosecutors said. A doctor performed CPR until paramedics arrived to take him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Read more:

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Mom-Boyfriend-Charged-With-2-Year-Old-Delaware-County-Boys-Murder-300349071.html#ixzz3XrxPgzgb

Delco couple charged in death of 2-year-old


Daniel Grafton and Shannon Matthews. ( Photos via handout )

Caitlin McCabe and Mari A. Schaefer, Inquirer Staff Writers
Last updated: Saturday, April 18, 2015, 1:08 AM
Posted: Friday, April 17, 2015, 3:53 PM

A Delaware County couple who had been under investigation for alleged child abuse were charged Friday with third-degree murder in the February beating death of a 2-year-old boy.

Daniel Grafton, 31, of Wallingford, and Shannon Matthews, 30, of Norwood, were also charged with aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, conspiracy, and other crimes in the death of Matthews' son, Mason Hunt.

At the time of the killing, the two were under investigation for an incident in January in which an abrasive salt substance was put all over the boy's body, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan said.

Read more:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150418_Delco_couple_charged_in_slaying_of_2-year-old.html#q2DB2isjYMKlc77z.99

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Mom, babysitter charged with murder in death of 2-year-old Delco boy

Published: Monday, April 20, 2015

By Rose Quinn
rquinn@delcotimes.com
@rquinndelco on Twitter


Shannon M. Matthews, 30, was escorted out of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas Friday following the formal charges filed against her that included third-degree murder, simple assault, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children, involuntary manslaughter and conspiracy to commit third-degree murder. (Rick Kauffman -- For Main Line Media News)

MEDIA COURTHOUSE >> Two-year-old Mason Hunt was “terrorized during the last two days of his life,” Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan said Friday announcing the arrests of the boy’s mother and her boyfriend on third-degree murder, aggravated assault and related offenses.

Shannon Matthews, 30, of Chester, and Daniel Grafton, 31, of Nether Providence, are being held without bail at the county prison. Grafton had been in custody on endangering the welfare of children and reckless endangerment offenses in connection with the Feb. 3 death of the little boy.

Neither defendant had any comment on the charges — which date back to when they lived together in an apartment in the 400 block of Chester Pike in Norwood — as they were being led out of the courthouse in handcuffs Friday afternoon.

“We believe both played an active role in the horrific death of this boy,” Whelan said at a press conference, noting that as many as 120 contusions were found on Mason Hunt’s body.

Read more:

http://www.mainlinemedianews.com/articles/2015/04/20/region/doc5534f89586161041171476.txt

Children and Youth Services had been monitoring the family following a January 5 domestic dispute where Hunt had his head and eyes doused with seasoning salt, prosecutors said.

Matthews and Grafton were arraigned Friday and are being held without bail.

Above snipped from link AD posted above.....why is there always another case; another tragedy?  I hope they get the full brunt of the law thrown at them.  RIP little sweet Mason.

Read more: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Mom-Boyfriend-Charged-With-2-Year-Old-Delaware-County-Boys-Murder-300349071.html#ixzz3Xs5TR9fh

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Police probe death of 2-year-old boy in Norwood

Daniel Grafton, 31, is escorted out of Glenolden District Court to be taken to Delaware County prison after being arraigned on charges of endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person. He is being held without bail. Rick Kauffman — Daily Times

~Snipped~

Mason Hunt, the youngest son of Paul Mason and Shannon Matthews, died Tuesday afternoon. He had been in Grafton’s care while Matthews worked at a physician’s office located in the same building as her apartment in the 400 Chester Pike, according to the affidavit of probable cause. Matthews and Hunt, who are no longer a couple, shared custody of their two boys, according to court documents.

~Snipped~

Matthews told investigators she left for work at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, leaving Mason in the care of Grafton, her boyfriend, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

According to Matthews’ statement, she left her job at 3:33 p.m. to buy snacks for Grafton and Mason, then returned to the apartment to drop off the snacks. Grafton told her Mason was in the bathtub, the affidavit states.

Matthews allegedly told investigators she was in the apartment for two to three minutes before returning to work. Grafton told investigators that Matthews peeked in at Mason before returning to her job, the affidavit states

Then about an hour later, Grafton ran into the doctor’s office with Mason’s limp body in his arms, the affidavit states. The toddler, wrapped in towels, was not breathing, the court document indicates. A physician took Mason and began CPR, but saw that the little boy’s lips were blue, his eyes were opened and she could not feel a carotid pulse, according to the affidavit.

The doctor, Patricia Sutton, continued CPR until medics arrived, the affidavit states.

In the affidavit, investigators indicated that Sutton noted multiple bruises on the child’s body, face, head, eye, abdomen and extremities; his right pupil was dilated and his left eye was constricted. Mason’s skin was cool to the touch. Medics noted the same feeling of his skin being cold, as well as ashen, according to the court document.

Mason was transported to Taylor Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:52 p.m.

After his death, hospital staff noticed numerous bruises on his face, head, shoulder, chest, elbow, genitals and anus, according to the affidavit. There were several deep bruises on the right and left side of his body, the court documented. The injuries were photographed for evidence.

Read more:

http://newsinpenn.com/police-probe-death-of-2-year-old-boy-in-norwood/

What a horrific experience this precious, little child had to endure. It culminated in death. How terribly sad .....

Judge Arraigns Mom, Boyfriend on Murder Charges in 2-Year-Old's Beating Death

By  Dan Stamm and Vince Lattanzio


Daniel Grafton, 31, and Shannon Matthews, 30, are charged with third degree murder in February 3, 2015 death of Matthew's son, Mason Hunt.

Updated at 3:36 PM EDT on Wednesday, Jun 17, 2015

A judge in suburban Philadelphia ordered a mother and her boyfriend to stand trial on third-degree murder charges in the death of her 2-year-old son.

Shannon Matthews and Daniel Grafton Jr. appeared in Delaware County court Tuesday to be formally arraigned in the bathtub death of Matthew’s son Mason Hunt. Judge James Nilon ordered charges including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, involuntary manslaughter, child endangerment, aggravated assault and simple assault charges to proceed. Grafton, 31, also faces a reckless endangerment charge.

If found guilty on all counts, both could face more than 100 years in prison and more than $150,000 in fines, reported the Delco Times.

Mason, 2, suffered more than 120 bruises from beatings before being found unresponsive face down in a bathtub on Feb. 3, prosecutors said.

Read more:

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Mom-Boyfriend-Mason-Hunt-Murder-307930271.html#ixzz3dlGXJRnd