An 18-year-old man was charged with capital murder in connection with the death of a child who was found in the middle of a Texas street, according to police.
Evidence submitted to an investigative lab linked Darriynn Brown to 4-year-old Cash Gernon at the time of his death, the Dallas Police Department said Wednesday in a statement. Police have not specified what the evidence was.
Brown was previously charged with kidnapping and theft after Cash was discovered with multiple wounds about 5:30 a.m. CT May 15 in the 7500 block of Saddleridge Drive.
Police have said that investigators believe an "edged weapon" was used in the attack on the child.
A police spokesman told NBC News that the teen was familiar with the people in the home where Cash was taken.
Kamron Moori, who lived in the house with the child, toldNBC Dallas-Fort Worth that surveillance video showed the suspect "carried him out of my house while he was asleep." Police have not confirmed the presence of a video.
Brown was also charged with burglary and injury to the elderly in connection with a separate incident in February. He is being held in the Dallas County Jail without bond on the capital murder charge, according to records.
Health Harris, Brown's attorney, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Thursday.
He told The Dallas Morning News Wednesday night that he was frustrated by the pace of the investigation, but he hoped the new charge would help get him access to evidence.
“It’s almost a month after this tragedy and I’m still waiting to prepare this kid’s defense,” Harris said. “We can’t do that till we have all the evidence.”
Harris previously said he was waiting to have a doctor do an evaluation of Brown's mental health, adding that it's "not an open and shut case."
