Mother’s boyfriend charged with murder in death of Newark 7-year-old – NJ.com

Essex County county prosecutors have charged a 36-year-old Union man with murder in the death of his girlfriend’s 7-year-old son Monday in Newark, authorities confirmed Wednesday.

Mark Harper had initially been charged with child endangerment in Aydin Brown’s death, but the charges were upgraded to murder on Wednesday, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly said.

An autopsy determined Brown died from blunt-force trauma, Fennelly said, and his death has been ruled a homicide.

City police officers found Brown, a second-grader at University Charter School, unresponsive in a Weequahic Avenue home around 8 a.m. Monday when they responded to a report of a sick or injured child. He was pronounced dead at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center just over an hour later.

Investigators said Brown had been in Harper’s care prior to his death.

Harper remains jailed at the Essex County Correctional Facility pending a detention hearing before a Superior Court judge. It was unclear Wednesday afternoon whether he had an attorney who could comment on the charges.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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