Louisville mother speaks out after ex-boyfriend charged with her 1-year-old son's beating death

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The mother of a 1-year-old boy who was allegedly beaten to death by her ex-boyfriend is speaking out about her son's life.

Christen Lovett died Nov. 2 at Norton Children's Hospital. That's when police officers responded to assist the fire department for a 1-year-old who was short of air.

He died from blunt force trauma, according to the Medical Examiner's report, which found multiple injuries, including two skull fractures, a brain bleed, blood in the child's diaper from his rectum and a fractured finger.

Further medical evaluation found several contusions to his head, bruising on his back and a laceration to his liver.

Kristaja Lovett said her son was full of life, and didn't deserve to die like that.

"His smile would just melt your heart," Lovett said. "He was so handsome, he was goofy."

She now holds on to pictures because she can no longer hold her little boy in her arms. She said though Christen's life was short, his personality was huge.

"He thought he was always older than what he was," she said.

In fact, Christen recently celebrated his first birthday with family at Chuck E. Cheese.

Then, a few short weeks later, he was taken from them.

"My baby is gone. My son got murdered," Lovett cried.

She was once involved with 29-year-old Derrick Taylor when he was her boyfriend. Taylor was arrested on Nov. 14 and charged with murder.

"He ruined us, he ruined us," said Christen's grandmother, Shonna Gatewood. "It makes me sick to my stomach. I have been throwing up and everything since it happened because I can't get it out of my head that my grandson got tortured and beat.

"I am going to be honest I just hope he rots in jail because he took something from us that we will never get back."

Pam Darnall, president and CEO of Family & Children's Place, said Christen's death is part of a troubling trend.

Recent child fatality reports indicate that, in 2019 alone, Jefferson County had a total of 44 fatal and near-fatal events due to child abuse and neglect.

Agencies like the Family & Children's Place are dedicated to lowering that number.

"We are all mandated reporters of child abuse," Darnell said. "We don’t have to know what is happening, we just have to know if we have a suspicion. If we see something that is concerning, we can pick up that phone and make that report to CPS."

It's a call that could save a life, and a family, from this kind of anger and pain.

"I just want my grandson to get justice," Gatewood said.

Taylor is currently being held at Louisville Metro Corrections.

Related Stories: