Father, 46, ‘told his suicidal 14-year-old son “just do it, end it now”, placed a shotgun in his arms and forced his hands over the trigger’ – before the boy dropped the weapon and went to his room
- Anthony Lewis, 46, was arrested this week in Anne Arundel County, Maryland
- Authorities say he physically abused his son, 14, over the course of six months
- Lewis is also alleged to have shoved a shotgun into his son’s arms
- Police say the son confided to his parents that he was having suicidal thoughts
- The boy took the shotgun, went to his room, and closed the door, police say
- Lewis is also alleged to have beaten his son with a belt or extension cord
- On one occasion, he allegedly stranged his son to the point he saw black
Anthony Lewis, 46, was arrested this week by authorities in Anne Arundel County, Maryland
A man who allegedly beat his 14-year-old son with a belt on at least three occasions also shoved a shotgun into his arms and forced the boy’s hands over the trigger after he confided that he was thinking of suicide.
‘Do it, just do it,’ Anthony Lewis, 46, allegedly told his young son after he revealed to his parents that he was having suicidal thoughts.
After he was allegedly given a shotgun by his father, the boy did not act on those thoughts, authorities say.
Prosecutors in Anne Arundel County say Lewis’s behavior is part of a pattern of abuse that had been ongoing for at least six months, according to WMAR-TV.
He has been charged with attempted first degree assault, second degree assault, child abuse, reckless endangerment, assisted suicide by providing means, firearm use, and failure to send a child to school.
Lewis faces multiple charges including child abuse and attempted assault
Court documents claim that between January and June of this year, Lewis hit his son with a belt or extension cord more than 20 times on at least three different occasions.
The alleged beatings left a number of bruises and welts on the boy’s body, investigators say.
On one occasion, Lewis allegedly strangled his son, who told police that it caused him to see ‘weird colors in my eyes’ and that ‘it started turning black.’
During that same time period, investigators say that the boy confided in his parents that he was having suicidal thoughts.
Authorities allege that Lewis beat his son on at least three occasions and handed him a shotgun after the boy confided to his parents that he was having suicidal thoughts
According to charging documents, after Lewis forced him to take hold of the shotgun, the boy went into his room and locked the door.
A warrant for Lewis’s arrested was issued on November 20, according to ABC News.
He is being held without bond at the Jennifer Road Detention Center in Anne Arundel County.
A preliminary court hearing is set for December 23.
For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255