A distraught dad snapped in an Ohio courtroom Thursday and attacked the man accused of killing his toddler son and the child’s mother.
Tonio Hughes lunged at Desean Brown from behind as he sat at the defense table, punching him in the head repeatedly before the two could be separated by sheriff’s deputies, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
“Everything inside him, just the pain and everything took over,” family friend Faith Burton told Fox 19. “He did what I think any of us would do.”
VIDEO: Father of Nylo Lattimore attacks man charged in his son's death during court hearing https://t.co/TAcANsq1bO
— WLWT (@WLWT) June 23, 2022
Brown, 22, is accused of stabbing Nyteisha Lattimore to death and throwing Lattimore’s 3-year-old son into the Ohio River. He was in court because his lawyers were seeking to suppress his taped confession to the monstrous crime.
The two deputies who subdued Hughes asked the judge to call for backup, and the heartbroken father even attempted to break free after he had been handcuffed. The judge found Hughes in contempt of court and sentenced him to seven days at the Hamilton County Justice Center.
“Judge Megan Shanahan and the Hamilton Sheriff’s Office would like to emphasize that this behavior will not be tolerated in the courthouse,” Hamilton County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Kyla Woods told Fox 19.
Investigators claim Brown planned the murder for months before stabbing Lattimore to death in her apartment on December 5, 2020. Days later, he allegedly put her corpse in a body bag he ordered on eBay and called an Uber to drive him to the river. He told the driver the bag contained clothes, according to authorities.
Lattimore’s body was found near a bridge on Dec. 12. The little boy’s body was never found, but a Paw Patrol blanket discovered nearby had his blood on it, authorities said. Brown was arrested the same day.
Burton said Hughes, is heartbroken that his son’s remains have not been found.
“I’ve had to be on late-night calls, because he’s on the edge, you know?” Burton told Fox 19. “I couldn’t live without my child either, you know? So I get his emotions, I get why he acted out in court today.”
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters is seeking the death penalty for Brown. His trial is set to start in August.