Steven Stuart, a 35-year-old Auburn man, has been indicted on a murder charge in the 2017 death of 7-year-old Jayden Carlson, prosecutors said, in a case that reaches back to an August 2012 assault that left the boy with devastating, lifelong injuries. Stuart was arraigned on June 18 in Worcester County Superior Court, is being held without bail, and is scheduled to return to court on July 20.
Grand jury returns indictment
According to a press release from the Worcester County District Attorney's Office, a Worcester County grand jury last week returned an indictment charging Stuart with murder in connection with Jayden's death. Prosecutors say Jayden died in December 2017 as a result of the injuries he suffered in the 2012 attack.
The district attorney's office notes that the 2012 case already led to a serious conviction. Stuart was previously found guilty in September 2015 of assault and battery on a child causing serious bodily injury and received a state prison sentence of six to eight years.
Criminal history and arraignment
Reporting from NBC10 Boston adds that the 2012 assault left Jayden with ongoing medical complications that persisted for years. The outlet also confirms that Stuart was sentenced to six to eight years in prison in that earlier case and that he was arraigned on the new murder charge on June 18 in Worcester County Superior Court. NBC10 Boston reports it was not immediately clear whether Stuart had an attorney representing him at the arraignment.
Jayden's life after the injury
Jayden's family has worked to keep his memory and spirit front and center. His adoptive mother, Deidra Alsten, told Spectrum News 1 that after the 2012 assault he was left blind, nonverbal, and reliant on a wheelchair. In the years that followed, the family launched a program called "Jayden's Keys 4 Happiness" that collects gifts for other hospitalized children. Jayden died in December 2017 at age seven.
What the law says
Under Massachusetts law, murder is divided into first and second degree, with penalties laid out in Chapter 265 of the General Laws. According to M.G.L. c. 265 § 2, a conviction for first-degree murder can result in a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Second-degree murder also carries a life sentence, although parole eligibility is possible depending on the sentence imposed. Those statutory distinctions will guide both the charging strategy and the potential punishment if prosecutors secure a conviction in Stuart's case.
What happens next
Prosecutors say Stuart's next court date is July 20. In the meantime, pretrial motions, discovery, and hearings are likely to shed more light on the evidence the state says ties the 2012 assault to Jayden's death five years later.
The Worcester County District Attorney's Office has not explained why the grand jury returned a murder indictment now in a case rooted in injuries from more than a decade ago, and the office has released few additional details. This story will be updated if new court records or filings become public.
