GUILTY VA - Zyon Thompson, 3, beaten to death, Henrico, 24 April 2015

Henrico police are investigating a suspicious death of a 3 year old. Zyon Thompson died back in April, and now three adults are charged in connection to his death. The trio appeared in court Wednesday morning

Click to expand...

Search warrants filed on April 24 of the home on Oakleys Lane reveal new details in the case of Zyon Thompson.

Henrico police seized an empty bottle of bleach, a whip and an asthma inhaler along with several other items during their investigation into two people now charged in the death of a 3-year-old.

Officers searched the Oakleys Lane home and attached storage structures for evidence to support a charge of child abuse and malicious wounding. They were looking for crabs, crab seasoning, albuterol, bleach, clothing and any related evidence and seized orange food seasoning, five bloody diaper, an empty bleach container, a cat o' nine tails whip, Benadryl, a rectal gel applicator and plastic containers of budesonide inhalation suspension medicine, which is used to treat asthma.

Click to expand...

luckyseven said:

Henrico police seize whip, bleach in death of 3-year-old
May 19, 2015 3:22 PM CDT

snipped

Click to expand...

luckyseven said:

Henrico police seize whip, bleach in death of 3-year-old
May 19, 2015 3:22 PM CDT

snipped

Click to expand...

In the weeks before his death, 3-year-old Zyon Thompson endured a range of brutal punishments before being left lying in his own filth, a Henrico County detective told a judge Thursday morning

The toddler died of dehydration, after yet another round of punishments — including being waterboarded and forced to eat spoonfuls of crab seasoning — was followed by fits of vomiting and diarrhea, said Henrico police investigator R.L. Egan.

“He had basically head-to-toe injuries and bruises,” she told the judge....

in the days leading to the child’s death, the adults decided “they needed to find alternative forms of punishments that wouldn’t leave any marks.”

Such punishments included being forced to sit with his legs spread and having adults push on his back or pull on his arms to cause pain, the detective said. The boy also was forced to hang from a door frame and a cabinet door, with his feet off the ground, Egan said.

Click to expand...

William Corey Moore, 25, pleaded guilty to felony murder and child abuse causing serious injury. Clarence Raiford Jr., 35, pleaded guilty to two counts of felony child abuse causing serious injury and one count of conspiracy to commit felony child abuse causing serious injury. He also entered an Alford plea to felony murder.

Click to expand...

Clarence will be sentenced on March 29, 2016, and Moore will be sentenced on April 21, 2016.

Alexis Raiford, the third suspect in the case, is still scheduled for a trial on Feb. 8, 2016.

Click to expand...

Day one of a week-long trial in Henrico Circuit Court, for the death of three-year–old Zyon Thompson, began with jury selection.

Alexis Raiford faces murder, child abuse, and cruelty charges in Zyon’s death. Prosecutors said Raiford and two others watched the boy for his mother.

Click to expand...

Clarence Raiford, who appears to have been the primary abuser, was sentenced to 32 years, the longest of the three. Alexis Raiford received 27 years; and Moore, 22 years.

Last month, Alexis Raiford entered an Alford plea to felony murder and child abuse and neglect resulting in serious injury on the second day of what was expected to be a seven-day trial.

Click to expand...