23-Year-Old Man Charged With Murder of Child in Saint John, N.B.

A New Brunswick man has been charged with second-degree murder in the suffocating death of a two-year-old child earlier this year in Saint John.

The Saint John Police Force said 23-year-old Madison “Karrson” Bennett appeared via video link on Tuesday to answer to the new charge.

Police were called to a residence in uptown Saint John on the night of September 18, where it was reported a child was not breathing.

“Emergency responders including police, paramedics and firefighters worked tirelessly in their attempts to administer life saving measures,” according to a news release from Saint John Police at the time.

The child was taken to a Saint John hospital, then airlifted to a children’s hospital in Halifax. The toddler died the following day.

Bennett was arrested on Sept. 28 on charges of criminal negligence causing death. According to court records, Bennett caused the child’s death by putting a ping-pong ball in the child's mouth.

The matter has been transferred from Provincial Court to Court of Queen's Bench.  Bennett was remanded in custody, where he will remain until a court date is set.

The identity of the child is protected by a publication order.