Officials say Gianni Sellers is charged with second-degree murder in an incident that happened in June of 2022.
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According to a release from Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler, 3-year-old Xavier Johnson was in the care of 23-year-old Gionni Sellers in May and June 2022.
On June 2, officers responding to a 911 call just before 8 a.m. at a home on Edward Diana Way in Walkill found Johnson unresponsive in the living room of the home.
The boy was taken to Garnet Health Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.
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According to a police investigation, in the days leading up to the child's death, Sellers inflicted blunt force trauma to the boy's head and torso which led to injuries to his brain and, ultimately, his death.
"As alleged, this defendant's depraved and wicked actions caused the senseless death of a vulnerable child," Hoovler said.
Sellers faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life if he's convicted of second-degree murder.
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