The father charged with first-degree murder had faced several assault allegations dating to 2020, according to court records.
PINEVILLE, N.C. — A man accused of killing his 5-year-old son inside a Pineville apartment had previously been charged in several assault cases in the Charlotte area, including two cases filed during the months before the child’s death, court records show.
Jehaaz-Akil Khaliq Echoles, 31, is charged with first-degree murder after the boy was fatally injured shortly after midnight Thursday at an apartment on Sabal Park Drive. Echoles appeared in court later Thursday, was denied bond and was appointed a public defender. The charge is an allegation, and the court records reviewed do not show that Echoles has entered a plea.
An affidavit in the murder case alleges that Echoles broke down the apartment’s front door, entered his son’s room and closed the bedroom door behind him. The boy’s mother reported hearing a commotion and opening the door, where she found the child bleeding and unresponsive, according to the document. Echoles did not live at the apartment, records said.
Pineville police officers placed the child in a patrol vehicle and took him to a hospital, where he died. Authorities arrested Echoles afterward at a Taco Bell near Carolina Place Mall, about 1 1/2 miles from the apartment. Police have not publicly disclosed a possible motive.
A review of court records found assault allegations against Echoles in Mecklenburg County in 2020 and twice in 2026, as well as a 2023 case in Gaston County. Some charges were dismissed, and the records do not establish that every accusation resulted in a conviction.
In the 2020 Mecklenburg County case, Echoles was charged with assault on a female, assault by strangulation and injury to personal property. The strangulation and property-damage counts were dismissed, according to records. The assault-on-a-female charge remained, and state prison records show Echoles received probation rather than an active prison sentence.
Documents connected to the 2020 case were not available through the state court system’s online records portal, limiting the public details about what led to those charges. Prison records indicate Echoles did not serve time in state prison for the assault conviction.
In Gaston County, Echoles was charged with simple assault in May 2023 after he allegedly punched another person in the chin. The available material did not provide the final disposition of that case.
Two more assault cases were filed in Mecklenburg County during 2026. In March, Echoles was charged with assault on a female and a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. An affidavit alleged that he took a woman’s vehicle and scratched her face by throwing keys when she asked for the vehicle back. Another court document identified Echoles and the woman as dating partners.
On June 15, less than a month before the child’s death, Echoles was again charged with assault on a female. An affidavit accused him of repeatedly striking a woman with a leather belt, leaving visible welts and scratches. The supplied records did not establish the outcome of the March or June cases.
Echoles remains in the Mecklenburg County jail without bond on the first-degree murder charge. Authorities had not announced additional charges or released further information about the investigation as of Friday.
Author note: Last updated July 10, 2026.