A 76-year-old Washington, D.C., man, Lawerence Perryman, has been arrested and charged with first-degree cruelty to children and first-degree felony murder in connection with the March 2025 death of a 17-month-old child.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Perryman made his initial court appearance on Friday last week, before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Dorsey Jones. The judge found probable cause for the charges and ordered that Perryman be held without bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday next week, before Judge Neal Kravitz.
Authorities said the case stems from a March 12, 2025, incident in which Perryman called 911 to report an unconscious child. An autopsy later determined the cause of death to be the combined toxic effects of diphenhydramine and methadone, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emma McArthur, and the Metropolitan Police Department participated in announcing the arrest. Perryman is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
