29-year-old charged in 2023 death of 7-month-old on Morris Road Southeast
Dion Phelps faces first-degree murder charges after a Medical Examiner ruled the infant died from blunt force trauma.
By Rohan Mehta ·
Washington, D.C. police arrested Dion Phelps on October 26, 2026, and charged him with first-degree murder in the 2023 death of his son, King Phelps. The 29-year-old man was taken into custody following an investigation that began in March.
On March 16, 2023, officers responded to a report of an unconscious infant in the 1300 block of Morris Road Southeast. They found King Phelps, then 7 months old, unresponsive at the scene. The D.C. Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled the manner of death a homicide. The office determined that blunt force trauma caused the infant's death.
King’s grandmother, who lived with the family, is now processing the loss of the child. Inside her apartment, a photograph of King hangs on the kitchen wall next to handwritten notes. One note reads, "Grandma misses you so much, words can not express how much I miss you." She recalled that he liked to hear her sing to him before bed.
"Right now I'm feeling depressed, upset, and I am a grieving grandmother that is just so unbearably. I don't know how to express myself," she said. When asked what she would miss most, she answered, "Everything. Everything. Everything, due to the fact that he was supposed to be here."
Phelps remains in jail awaiting trial. His next court hearing is scheduled for Friday, October 30, 2026.
Source: FOX 5 DC · original report published
