Father of New Kensington boy found dead ordered to trial on charges he punched the boy in November

The father of a 9-year-old New Kensington boy who was found dead May 4 was ordered to stand trial on charges of simple assault and child endangerment that were filed in November.

Jean J. Charles, 40, waived his right to a preliminary hearing before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. on Thursday, according to court records.

Even though the charges are misdemeanors, Charles was ordered to remain in the Westmoreland County jail after the judge denied bond because he is homeless and there would be no assurance that he appears for his trial, court records show.

Charles faces a formal arraignment July 26 in Westmoreland County Court.

Nobody has been arrested in connection with the death of Azuree Charles, who was found near his home in East Ken Manor along Haser Drive early this month.

The Westmoreland County coroner has not released a cause of death for the boy. Police are seeking tips from the public in their search for his killer.

The boy’s body was discovered by Osie Taylor Jr., 70, an East Ken Manor resident. Taylor said he began looking for the boy after police went door to door to inform residents that the child was missing.

He said he offered to help search because he knew where children in the neighborhood would hang out and play.

Taylor found the boy under a lawn chair in a wooded area behind his home.

The day after the boy was found, Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli announced that authorities had a person of interest in the case but did not share any details about the person.

Regarding the November case, Charles was arrested after a Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau caseworker told a detective that she observed bruising and discoloration under the boy’s eye, police said.

According to a criminal complaint, New Kensington police received a report Nov. 24 claiming a juvenile had been punched in the eye by his father, identified as Charles.

The complaint did not name Azuree as the victim, but it does identify the person who was struck as a 9-year-old boy. Family and neighbors told the Tribune-Review that Azuree only had younger sisters.

The caseworker told police the boy accused his father of punching him in the eye because he was making noise in his bedroom, the complaint said. The boy had a bruise under his eye in the morning and told his mother, according to authorities.