Defendant Sentenced Above the Guidelines in Child Abuse Case

Baltimore, Md. (June 21, 2024) - This week, a Baltimore City judge sentenced Kelvin Morris above the sentencing guidelines to 54 years, suspending all but 39 Years, with five years of supervised probation upon release. Morris was found guilty of offenses, including Child Abuse in the First and Second Degrees, Assault in the First and Second Degrees, Reckless Endangerment, and various related charges in March of this year. During this week's sentencing, the Judge noted that “it was a miracle that [the child] did not die” and focused on the particularly “heinous nature” of the crime as a basis for the sentence. Assistant State's Attorneys Robert Render and Phillip Green of the Special Victims Unit prosecuted this case. SVU Chief Jesse Halvorsen represented the state at sentencing.

“Our prosecutors litigated this case over multiple years, maintained constant contact with the victims, and prepared numerous witnesses for trial," said State's Attorney Ivan J. Bates. "Their dedication to delivering justice for the survivors of Mr. Morris' horrific actions is a testament to the work of this highly specialized unit that tackles some of the most difficult crimes that come through our office.  My heart remains with the victims in this case, and I hope this sentence brings some measure of peace and closure to that tragic ordeal." 

On Thursday, April 14, 2022, at approximately 11:25 p.m., Baltimore Police responded to The Holiday Inn Express located at 221 N. Gay St about a call for service of an eight-year-old boy being attacked by his father. Upon arrival, officers met with a woman who stated that her child's father, Mr. Kelvin A. Morris, had just assaulted her and their eight-year-old son while she was holding their three-month-old daughter. The male child was transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital after being found unresponsive.

The mother reported that she had been in the hotel room with her two children when Mr. Morris entered and appeared to be intoxicated. She stated that she told Mr. Morris to eat something and to get in the shower. Mr. Morris reacted by becoming enraged and aggressive. She then stated that Mr. Morris started punching her in the face with both his hands while she was breastfeeding and holding their infant daughter. She said that her son stepped in front of Mr. Morris in an attempt to protect her and to stop the attack. Mr. Morris responded by punching his son in the face and head, causing the child to fall to the ground where Mr. Morris then started to stomp on the child's head repeatedly and started yelling, "I'm going to kill you." The mother stated that she was able to get out of the room and ask for help. While outside that room, Mr. Morris pursued her as she attempted to remove her children from the room and was still assaulting his son by punching and kicking him in the head until the child became unconscious.