Overview
- Judge Michael Nerheim ordered Dominique Servant, 33, and Joey L. Ruffin, 38, detained pending trial after a Monday hearing in Lake County.
- Both defendants face two counts of first-degree murder and one count of child endangerment causing death tied to the Round Lake Beach case.
- Prosecutors alleged belt beatings, forced weight-holding, bathroom restrictions on a plastic sheet, and a cold shower before the boy collapsed, with beatings recorded on phones and rooms monitored by cameras.
- The Lake County Coroner identified the victim as 8-year-old Markell Pierce and reported malnourishment and extensive bruising, with final autopsy results still pending.
- A 10-year-old sibling remains hospitalized for signs of abuse and malnourishment as DCFS, which had no prior contact with the family, coordinates with investigators on custody decisions for surviving children.