Gang member accused in beating of 2-year-old girl released from jail after judge reduces bond

A Spokane gang member with a long history of violence is accused of brutally beating and choking his girlfriend’s daughter, leaving the 2-year-old with multiple bruises and broken bones.

Cedric E. “Dirty” Burton was arrested Nov. 11 in connection with the Oct. 29 beating. He was released from the Spokane County Jail on Nov. 18 after a judge lowered his bond from $250,000 to $25,000.

The girl, Jayonna Walker, is recovering from surgery with casts on both arms and both legs. She and her two sisters now live with their biological father, who is asking for help with the girl’s medical bills on GoFundMe.com.

“With Jayonna’s extreme injuries, I needed to take a leave of absence from my job to stay home and care for her,” Andrew Walker wrote on the GoFundMe page. “When the casting comes off, she won’t be able to walk and will need extensive therapy for about a year. Her emotional health is also of great concern and we want to get all three girls into counseling as soon as possible.”

Court documents say Burton, his girlfriend and her three children were living at the Econo Lodge Inn at 1503 S. Rustle Road and were preparing to watch a movie in the motel room on the afternoon of Oct 21. Burton offered to take the children to a store to get some candy, and they left in a van.

Burton returned about 15 minutes later carrying Jayonna, whose leg was visibly broken, according to court documents. He told the mother the girl had tried to step out of the van but got tangled in the seatbelt and fell to the ground.

They took the girl to Deaconess Hospital, where Burton gave a fake name to hospital staff and coerced the mother to lie about what had happened, according to court documents. He rode in an ambulance with Jayonna as she was transferred to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center.

Once at Sacred Heart, Burton claimed he had a family emergency to attend to and left, according to court documents. The mother initially said she had been present when her daughter was injured, but later admitted Burton was watching the children instead.

Doctors said the girl’s myriad injuries could not have been caused by a fall like the one described, according to court documents. She had two broken forearms and two broken legs. Her body and face were covered in bruises and scrapes.

Jayonna’s 4-year-old sister told a forensic interviewer that Burton was “spinning around” Jayonna’s leg, which may explain the spiral fracture in her right femur, according to court documents.

Spokane police obtained surveillance footage from the motel, which shows Jayonna getting into the van without issue on Oct. 29, according to court documents. The van returns 15 minutes later, and Burton stands in the doorway as the girl attempts to stand up inside.

Jayonna then falls onto the ground and lands in a prone position, without putting her arms out to catch herself, the video shows. Burton tries to put her on her feet, but she can’t stand.

Burton is charged with second-degree assault of a child, and his trial is scheduled to begin in February. Police and prosecutors have said the 29-year-old belongs to a gang based in Compton, California.

In 2010, Burton was found guilty of assault for trying to run over a bodybuilder in a downtown Spokane parking lot. That same year, he pleaded guilty to four felonies after serving as the getaway driver for another gang member who shot and killed a man.

Burton also was convicted of assault in connection with a 2005 gang riot and murder at the Crazy 8’s bar.