D.C. Man Arrested and Charged with Murder for the Death of 17-Month-Old Child

            WASHINGTON – Lawerence Perryman, 76, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged today, with first-degree cruelty to children and first-degree felony murder for the death of a 17-month-old child on March 12, 2025, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Perryman made his initial appearance before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Dorsey Jones on January 23, 2026, where Judge Jones found probable cause that Perryman committed the offense of first-degree cruelty to children and felony murder and ordered that Perryman be held without bond pending a preliminary hearing which is scheduled for February 2, 2026, before Judge Neal Kravitz. 

           According to court documents, on March 12, 2025, at approximately 7:00 a.m., Perryman contacted 911 for an unconscious 17-month-old child.  A post-mortem examination was conducted on the child’s remains and his cause of death was determined to be “Combined Toxic Effects of Diphenhydramine and Methadone.” 

           Joining the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.

           This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emma McArthur.

           These charges are merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

2026CF1001259