A west Georgia man has been charged in connection with the beating death of his 3-year-old stepson, according to Carroll County jail records.

Joshua David Richards, the 21-year-old son of Carrollton police Chief Joel Richards, was jailed Tuesday after police responded to a report of an injured child at the Hickory Falls Apartments, Villa Rica Capt. Keith Shaddix previously told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The boy’s mother had called 911. Police believe she was sleeping in a nearby room during the attack in which the boy sustained a “severe trauma” to the head.

Richards was previously charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery, first-degree cruelty to children and possession of marijuana, police said.

A murder charge was added after the child died over the weekend.

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Demonstrators protest President Donald Trump and Elon Musk on Presidents Day in front of the Capitol in Atlanta on Monday, February 17, 2025, as part of nationwide demonstrations organized by the 50501 movement. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)

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