Ahren Joshua DeHart, age 1, was murdered by a chimp. You never know when a chimp is going to chimp out. You cannot trust them any more than you can trust a wild animal. Avoid all contact with chimps as if your lives depend on it because they do.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/2cdsqia6k0?utm_campaign=p_cp_url&utm_medium=os&utm_source=customer
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/crime/2021/04/22/el-paso-family-devastated-baby-ahren-dehart-death-suspect-marvin-rex-lake-charged-capital-murder/7338719002/
Ahren Joshua DeHart's parents thought their 13-month-old son was safe with a trusted family friend.
Instead, that man is now accused of fatally injuring the child in a “monstrous” moment that has left the family devastated, a family member said.
Ahren died April 16, days after he suffered injuries while being babysat by 24-year-old Marvin Rex Lake, according to El Paso Police Department and the DeHart family.
Lake was arrested on suspicion of capital murder.
Ahren will be remembered as a "beautiful and loving boy who was always smiling," said Ahren's granduncle, Lawrence DeHart.
"He was very, very loved," DeHart said. "His parents, their lives really revolved around him. For 20-year-olds, it's clear that they were destined to be parents. They loved him to death. Words can't express how devastating this whole thing is for us. I can't imagine what they (parents) are going through."
The loss of their only child has left the young parents devastated, DeHart said.
"They're just grieving, and this is about the most devastating of a fashion as you can imagine," DeHart said. "What they've had to go through that people don't see or understand — holding your baby in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) while he takes his last breaths is horrific. It all brought tears to our eyes and we cried deep. You carry these types of wounds with you for life."
Ahren Joshua DeHart
He stressed that Ahren's parents didn’t leave the child with just anyone.
"They've known him (Lake) for a while," DeHart said. "This guy's wife is coworkers with baby Ahren's mom. So, they knew him and he was watching his stepkids at home and he was just going to watch baby Ahren for one day for like five hours. Who would ever think that it would turn into this monstrous situation where this man would take this baby's life."
Lake served in the U.S. Army with Ahren’s father, Brandon DeHart, and Lake’s girlfriend was a coworker of Ahren’s mother, Araya DeHart, at the Hospitals of Providence Memorial Campus, Lawrence DeHart said.
Brandon DeHart is a U.S. Army specialist stationed at Fort Bliss.
Fort Bliss officials would only say that Lake was discharged from the U.S. Army while serving at the post last year.
Lake is accused of performing wrestling moves on Ahren that resulted in the baby suffering a skull fracture and several other internal injuries, according to court documents.
Arhen was taken April 12 to El Paso Children’s Hospital.
Days later, his parents had to make the heartbreaking choice to remove him from life support.
"He was their first kid," Lawrence DeHart said. "This young 20-year-old, newly married couple just starting their careers and lives together having to sit in the NICU and knowing that the neurosurgeons have said there's pretty much no way he's going to get brain function back. He's breathing because of machines."
He continued: "His blood's pumping through his body because of machines. And then at roughly 2:30 p.m. Friday (April 16) afternoon, they had to make the horrible decision to pull him from all of those machines and allow him to pass away. Just imagine having to hold him as he died and take his last breath in your arms. It's devastating."
A GoFundMe account was created by Araya DeHart's boss to help the family with the financial cost. The account has received more than $15,700 through more than 200 donors.
“It's so much more than just the financial help,” Lawrence DeHart said. “It's healing. We all hop on it and see who donated. When we see that friends or family did, it means something so much more valuable. It's like these little brief moments where you can escape this cruel reality and see that people care and that they're helping. They're leaving little messages and it's just so much more.”
