Mother of dead Las Vegas boy faced complaints in Illinois

The mother of 7-year-old Roderick "RJ" Arrington, who died last week after Las Vegas police said he was beaten into a coma, was investigated by Illinois authorities for striking her son at a video store six years ago.

Normal, Ill., police were called to a Blockbuster Video store after a customer saw Dina Palmer, then known as Dina James-Beverly, strike her 17-month-old son, squeeze his head and push him face first into a video rack, according to a report obtained by the Review-Journal.

Palmer told an officer "she had hit her child as punishment for not listening to her" and "that she was raised to discipline children physically," the report said.

She added "that if the witness did not agree with her parenting, that was her problem."

No criminal charges were filed for the Oct. 3, 2006, incident, which was investigated by the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services. A spokesman for the department returned a call late Friday, but did not immediately have information on the case.

The officer noted in the report that RJ had no visible injuries.

Palmer, 27, and husband Markiece Palmer, 34, face a murder charge and two counts of child abuse in connection with RJ's death. A preliminary hearing is set for Jan. 18 before Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman.

A key piece of evidence in the case is expected to be a coroner's report on the cause of RJ's death, which may not be completed until next month. Depending on what that report details, prosecutor Michael Staudaher may consider adding torture charges against the Palmers.

The video store incident was not Dina Palmer's only run-in with the law in Illinois.

On July 28, 2010, she was arrested for possession after she was caught with a smoldering marijuana cigar. She pleaded guilty in January 2011 and was sentenced to 18 months probation, McLean County, Ill., court records show.

Las Vegas police said that the night of Nov. 28 RJ was severely beaten. He was hospitalized the next day and died Nov. 30, his brain swollen and his body riddled with bruises, including arms, abdomen, back, legs, thighs and buttocks, where he had open wounds.

Markiece Palmer told police that on Nov. 28 he struck his stepson on the buttocks with a belt for not completing homework.

He said RJ then balled up his fists and "ran up on him." He grabbed the child by the arms and shook him hard, the police report said.

Palmer said RJ then ran downstairs, slipped, hit his forehead on a table and fell backward, striking his head on the floor. After the boy took a bath, the stepfather put cocoa butter on his wounds, the report said. RJ was found unresponsive in his bed the next morning. His mother called the family pastor before she called an ambulance, the report said.

Earlier on Nov. 28, Roundy Elementary school officials suspected RJ was being abused after he said he had difficulty sitting down because of "spankings." The Palmers told investigators they beat RJ the night before with a paddle and whipped him with a belt for lying about reading a Bible chapter, according to a police report.

School officials called child protective services with their concerns, but social workers never responded and the boy was sent home. County officials are reviewing their role in the case.

The Palmers remained at the Clark County Detention Center without bail.

Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.