A man linked to the death of a 5-year-old whose body was found inside a dumpster in Panorama City last week was charged with murder and assault, the LA County District Attorney’s Office said Friday.
Brycson Malik Gaddis, 20, is accused of beating his ex-girlfriend’s 5-year-old son to death on July 11 in an apartment on Lanark Street near Roscoe Boulevard. The boy’s body was found the next day in a commercial parking lot dumpster, the DA’s office said.
Gaddis faces one felony count each of murder, and assault on a child causing death. If convicted on all charges, he could get a possible maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison.
By Tuesday, stuffed animals, candles, balloons notes, flowers and other items were left at the location in memory of the child, identified by his grandfather as 5-year-old Elyjah Anthony Hearn.
“He was autistic, but that didn’t slow him down,” Hearn Sr. said. “He could pick your phone up and go through it, any tablet. His speech was slow, but he understood and he was loving.”
Troy Hearn Sr. said Gaddis is his daughter’s estranged boyfriend and not the father of Elyjah.
NBC4 Investigates uncovered Gaddis’ recent criminal history, which includes a July 2024 arrest in connection with a violent carjacking in Pomona. The charges were dismissed after prosecutors were unable to find the victims in the case, the LA DA’s Office said.