Mom Pleads Not Guilty In Brutal Death Of Gary Toddler

CHICAGO (STMW) -- Selena Strong, the Gary, Ind., woman facing life without parole in the beating death of her 22-month-old son, appeared in court Friday with her public defender.

Strong, 26, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, two counts of neglect of a dependent, and battery in the death of Brandon Dillon, who was found dead Sept. 30 on an air mattress in the apartment where he lived with Strong, her husband, Bernard Dillon, 37, Brandon's twin sister and infant sister.

Police were called to the residence at 320 W. 6th Ave., Gary, for a disturbance. A man later identified as Dillon told police, "The baby is upstairs dead in the bedroom."

Strong was found indigent at an earlier hearing and is represented by defense attorney Derla Gross.

Strong's omnibus hearing is Dec. 4.

An autopsy found that Brandon died of blunt force trauma and that the toddler's death was "a culmination of various traumas," including a ruptured stomach, broken cervical spine, broken clavicle, bruises to the liver, kidney and spleen; head trauma and other injuiries in various stages of healing, court records state. The injuries were inflicted over at least a month.

Dillon also has pleaded not guilty. His omnibus hearing is Nov. 26.