Lake County man charged with killing infant son rejects plea offer

LAKE COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO) - The man charged with murder for the death of his young son rejected a plea offer from the prosecutor’s office during a Tuesday morning court hearing.

William Beasley, who according to court records is from Eastlake, appeared for what was listed on the docket as a plea change hearing.

His attorney instead said that the suspect would reject a plea, meaning the case proceedings would continue to a jury trial, now scheduled to begin on Feb. 22.

Lake County court records show that Beasley was initially indicted on the following:

• Murder
• Involuntary manslaughter
• 2 counts of endangering children
• Felonious assault

Willoughby police said Beasley killed his infant son, who was approximately 1 month old at the time of the alleged crime in May 2020.

The suspect called 911 emergency services to report that his young child Zachary was having trouble breathing, police said.

First responders arrived to Beasley’s Lost Nation Road apartment and took the child to Hillcrest Hospital.

The infant was pronounced dead a week later. According to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office, the baby’s death was ruled a homicide from “complications of blunt force injury to head, trunk, and extremities with skeletal and brain injuries.”

Copyright 2021 WOIO. All rights reserved.