Slain Houma toddler Ezekiel Harry remembered on night of third birthday

THIBODAUX, La. (WVUE) - As the family of slain toddler Ezekiel Harry gathered as Moses Baptist Cemetery, releasing balloons to commemorate what would have been his third birthday, questions remain about the circumstances leading up to the child’s death.

The boy was killed July 12, his remains found in a duffel bag dropped into a trash can in Houma. His mother Maya Jones, and her live-in boyfriend Jermaine Robinson, were arrested on murder allegations. Police said Jones lied about Harry’s whereabouts, initially reporting him missing before changing her story under questioning by detectives.

Autopsy results showed the boy known as “Zeke” died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Fox 8 reported that Robinson had faced and pleaded guilty to a slew of child abuse and drug charges in the past, in both Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.

“I’m to the point now where I just want to know the details of what happened to my son,” said Trey Harry, Ezekiel’s father. “He didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve it. No child should have to go through that.”

The elder Harry said Jones has refused to make further statements to investigators while in custody.

“I want to see the mother of this child speak up,” he said. “I’m over here, with our other three kids, thinking about my son every second of my life. All I want is for her to speak up, what she should have done on Day 1.”

Fox 8 obtained three calls made to police related to the Cadiere Street home where Ezekiel lived with his mother, siblings and Robinson. One came from a concerned neighbor, the other two from Jones’ mother Jacqueline Jones.

In a June 17 call, a neighbor told police she heard “yelling” coming from the home, and that “it sounded like it was getting violent.”

When Houma Police arrived at the home, Robinson told an officer he was arguing with Maya Jones because “his girlfriend’s child broke his new phone.” The officer wrote that Jones confirmed they were arguing because her child broke Robinson’s phone, but that police assistance wasn’t needed.

In the other calls -- placed July 4 and July 9 -- Jacqueline Jones called police to the home because she suspected Robinson was beating her daughter. On both occasions, officers arrived but were rebuffed by Maya Jones, despite having “obvious old bruising to her right eye and blood marks,” the report said.

“Nothing was reported to us of anything going on to where children were being abused on any of the three calls you have,” Houma Police Chief Dana Coleman said. “The only thing we have is a kid possibly damaged a phone. Both parties said they’re OK, and they didn’t need police.

“I think whenever a report is made to law enforcement, if there’s an issue law enforcement needs to take care of, then that parent who is a victim of whatever is going on in that house needs to let law enforcement know, so they can take the proper measures to resolve it.”

Ezekiel’s family is looking for answers and potential closure, Trey Harry said.

“This is very heartbreaking and hard,” Harry said. “I’ll never go on with it. My heart’s gonna be broken forever. I know that.”

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