'Poor Prognosis For Recovery' Of Murrieta Boy, 5, Who Was Tortured: Police

MURRIETA, CA — As a young Murrieta boy lie in a hospital room in San Diego County, his dad and his dad's girlfriend were appearing Thursday in a French Valley courtroom to answer to charges of torture and cruelty to a child resulting in great bodily injury. The couple are also accused of allowing the child to become comatose in their care.

Benjamin Matthew Whitten, 33, and Jeryn Christine Johnson, 25, were arrested Tuesday night following an investigation by Murrieta police into the injuries to his biological son, who is on life support at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego.

Both of them are now being held in lieu of $1,040,000 bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta. The duo were originally locked up on lower bail amounts – Whitten's was set at $1 million and Johnson's at just $75,000 – but those amounts were increased by Thursday as additional charges were added against them.

The two made their initial court appearances Thursday afternoon at the Southwest Justice Center, but their arraignment was rescheduled to Aug. 24. The Navy is closely monitoring the case, according to NBC4, which reported that two uniformed members of the Navy were in the courtroom.

According to Murrieta police Lt. Tony Conrad, paramedics were summoned about 10 a.m. Tuesday to the 24000 blockVerdun Lane, near Mountain Pride Park, regarding a child in medical distress.

Conrad said the boy was suffering from "severe injuries" – the nature of which weren't disclosed – that "required immediate medical attention." After the child was examined at a Temecula Valley trauma center, the decision was made to airlift him to the pediatric hospital for specialized care.

"His condition required immediate medical attention and he was transported via ambulance to a local hospital," Conrad said in a news release. "Officers on scene determined the incident was an apparent case of child abuse and the Murrieta Police Department Detective Bureau was notified and called out to the scene."

The boy, whose name was not publicly released, was later airlifted to a hospital in San Diego County. On Thursday, Conrad told Patch that the boy remained in "grave condition with a poor prognosis for recovery."

Detectives arrested the pair after questioning them at length and searching their house, where Conrad described the living conditions as "extremely unsanitary." He said 11 dogs, four cats and two fish were impounded by animal control officers.

According to Johnson's public Facebook profile, she ran an animal rescue organization out of her home. She regularly shared photos and videos of the animals inside the house.

Whitten is a member of the U.S. Navy and served as a machinist’s mate nuclear 1st class stationed in San Diego. Neither Whitten nor Johnson has any record of prior felony or misdemeanor convictions in Riverside County.

SEE PREVIOUS:

• Police Reveal Disturbing Details In Murrieta 'Torture' Case Of 5-Year-Old Boy
• 'Severe Neglect' Of Juvenile In Murrieta Under Investigation: Police

Booking photos courtesy: Murrieta Police Department / City News Service contributed to this report