Deandre Pettus, 34, of the District of Columbia, has been charged with first-degree murder in the alleged drowning of his son, Deandre Pettus, Jr., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to court documents, on October 6, 2024, at 9:44 a.m., MPD officers responded to the 4500 block of Connecticut Avenue, NW, for a report of an unconscious child inside an apartment.
U.S. Secret Service officers had been the first to arrive on the scene and started CPR on the 5-year-old boy. DC Fire and EMS arrived soon after and took over CPR. After all lifesaving efforts failed, the child was pronounced dead.
Officers at the scene arrested Pettus, who was charged with first degree cruelty to children. The boy was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where the death was ruled undetermined.
On July 11, 2025, Pettus was arraigned in DC Superior Court on charges of First Degree-Felony Murder and cruelty to children before Judge Todd Edelman. A jury trial is scheduled for March 1, 2027.
