Crime and the black family: A young boy was beaten almost to death for taking — or, as family members put it, "stealing" — a piece of birthday cake without permission, police say

Prosecutors say that the 9-year-old was handcuffed and severely beaten by his mother's boyfriend, 30-year-old Robert Leroy Wilson, and is not expected to survive. According to police, another adult in the home called 911 after the boy was beaten unconscious but when paramedics arrived, the boy's mother told them that he was just "congested." She didn't let them see the boy, but they were called back hours later when he stopped breathing. The boy was hospitalized in critical condition with head trauma and pulmonary contusions, according to charging documents, and was found to have bruises and contusions on his face, ears, neck, spinal column, abdomen, and buttocks. Some of these were in "varying stages of healing," the documents state, which indicates past abuse. He has not regained consciousness and prosecutors say that he will have permanent injuries if he survives. Wilson faces charges including first-degree assault and child abuse and bail was set at $1 million after a hearing.