Braylon Alexander

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Remembering Braylon

Braylon Alexander was a two year old little boy.

His mother described him as her “miracle baby” and said that he had experienced significant medical problems and was physically fragile. She also described the relationship between Braylon and her boyfriend, Lekedrin Smith, as one in which Braylon loved and trusted him. At two years old, Braylon depended completely on the adults around him for his care and protection. On the morning of June 30, 2008, his mother said Braylon appeared fine and in good health when she left for work. By the following day, Braylon was gone

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Braylon's Story

On June 30, 2008, Braylon's mother, Delois Alexander, left him at their Jacksonville home in the care of her boyfriend, Lekedrin Smith, while she went to work. Later, Smith called her and said Braylon had fallen and vomited. When Delois returned home, she found Smith holding her son. Braylon was unresponsive. Instead of 911 having been called immediately, Braylon's mother took him to the emergency room at North Metro Medical Center. He was subsequently transferred to Arkansas Children's Hospital, where he died from his injuries. Smith told investigators that Braylon had fallen twice outside the home. He claimed he had not seen the first fall and that, after another fall from the porch, Braylon went limp. Smith said he picked Braylon up and shook him while the little boy drifted in and out of consciousness. He said he shook Braylon several more times before the child vomited. Investigators noted that Smith changed his account of what had happened several times. The injuries found on Braylon's body did not support the explanation of simple childhood falls. Police documented multiple bruises on his forehead, a noticeable knot on the back of his head and what appeared to be a handprint on his buttocks. According to the physician's findings preserved on Braylon's original Abuse Angels page, Braylon suffered devastating head injuries, including subdural hematomas involving both frontal lobes and fractures involving the parietal and occipital bones of his skull. Hemorrhaging was found in both eyes. There were also injuries elsewhere on his body, including bruising and abrasions to his back, groin and abdomen.  The examining physician determined that Braylon's injuries were not consistent with falling from a standing position or from the height of a step, as had been claimed. At least one of his head injuries indicated a high-force impact. The findings were considered evidence of an inflicted head injury rather than an ordinary accident.

Braylon died at Arkansas Children's Hospital on July 1, 2008.

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Justice for Braylon

Following Braylon's death, police sought Lekedrin Smith on a capital murder charge. Smith turned himself in to Jacksonville police on July 3, 2008. Contemporary reporting identifies him as 30 years old at the time. He was taken to the Pulaski County Jail. By September 2008, Smith had been released on bond while awaiting trial for capital murder in Braylon's death.

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Person charged: Lekedrin Smith
Relationship to Braylon: Mother's boyfriend
Initial charge: Capital murder

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Forever Remembered

The medical records and police reports tell us what happened to Braylon. They document the bruises, the fractures, the catastrophic injuries and the explanations that doctors determined could not account for them. Those details matter because Braylon deserves for the truth about what happened to him to be told. But they are not who Braylon was. His name was Braylon Alexander. He was a two year old little boy his mother called her miracle baby. He was a child who loved and trusted the adults around him and who deserved for that trust to be safe. Braylon's life should have become so much more than the events of June 30 and July 1, 2008. Abuse Angels remembers Braylon, tells the truth about what happened to him, and makes certain that the little boy behind the case is never reduced to the injuries that ended his life.