With the main prosecution witness now dead, domestic battery charges will likely be dropped against a suburban father accused of beating his son.
On Sunday, just 14 days after his father allegedly punched him in the chest and stomach, 12-year-old Menyarri Capehart tied a shoelace to a railing and hanged himself above the family's bathtub in an exclusive Chicago suburb.
His mother found him there, but her efforts combined with those of the boy's father proved fruitless and Menyarri was pronounced dead at St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields.
His death was ruled a suicide Monday by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
Menyarri had argued with his father about not being allowed to play outside, the Southtown Star reported.
Domestic battery charges were filed against the boy's father, Daniel Capehart, 31 on March 30, alleging the man punched the eighth-grader for his failure to let the dog out before going to school, , the paper said.
Capehart, 31, reeked of alcohol and had "bloodshot, watery eyes," when police responded to a 911 call at the family's Olympia Fields home, Cook County state's attorney spokesman Andy Conklin said.
He was ordered to stay away from Menyarri for 72 hours after the alleged assault, but returned home from the Cook County Jail on April 3 on bail of $50,000.
