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WEST JORDAN — Charges against a Taylorsville man accused of killing his girlfriend's 20-month-old son were elevated Thursday to murder.
Colossal Teton, 33, appeared in court for a scheduling conference where prosecutors filed amended charges alleging he had abused Greysen Rodriguez on multiple occasions before the child died last fall.
Teton claimed he was "loopy" on drugs and fell multiple times carrying the boy down the stairs, landing on top of him and killing him, according to police.
Teton was originally charged in April with child abuse homicide, a second-degree felony, nearly six months after the toddler's death. He is now charged with murder, a first-degree felony, and four counts of child abuse, a second-degree felony.
Teton, who left the home before police arrived, was later interviewed and told officers he was carrying Greysen when he fell down the stairs of the split-level Taylorsville home, 3323 W. 4960 South, on Nov. 1, charges state. Teton later said he fell down the stairs twice with Greysen because of a "bum knee" that gave out, according to court documents.
It wasn't until a third conversation with police that Teton told officers he had been using drugs. His blood tested positive for prescription medication, THC, cocaine and alcohol, charges state.
Greysen's mother was outside when the boy was hurt. Through the morning the baby had been fine and was playing with his toys, she said.
At the time of Greysen's death, the mother told police her infant had not been hit or abused, saying the child had caused the marks on his body himself and that Teton "took care of him like he was his dad."
She later told police that her son had been hurt multiple times through the summer of 2015, describing "rug burn type injuries," according to the amended charges. In those instances, Teton claimed the boy had fallen out of his crib, run into the wall or run into a table, she said.
In the two weeks before he died, Greysen would not go near Teton, the mother told police.
Greysen's maternal grandmother, who saw the baby on a weekly basis, told police she had noticed injuries on the boy on multiple occasions starting in March 2015 and up until his death, including bruises on his head, charges state.
An autopsy revealed the cause of Greysen's death to be blunt force trauma to the head, court documents say. The boy had eight broken bones in his two forearms, a skull fracture, a jaw fracture and broken orbital bone, according to the autopsy. He was also found to have suffered bleeding in both eyes, face and neck scratches, and bruising and swelling, among other injuries, according to investigators.
The medical examiner who conducted the boy's autopsy reported that a stair fall could not have caused all of his injuries, charging documents state. That opinion was echoed by a child abuse pediatrician with Primary Children's Hospital who reviewed Greysen's injuries and conducted a video re-enactment of the fall, charges state.
A scheduling conference for Teton has been set for Aug. 23. He remains in custody in the Salt Lake County Jail.
Court records show Teton's long criminal history in Utah includes convictions for assault, attempted aggravated assault, domestic violence in the presence of a child, drug- or alcohol-related reckless driving, retail theft and misdemeanor drug and drug paraphernalia possession.
Help for those who are concerned a child may be experiencing abuse can call Utah's Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-855-323-3237. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911.
