A West Baltimore man charged with shaking his infant son to death and beating and seriously injuring his 2 1/2 -year-old stepson was ordered held without bail yesterday by District Court Judge Nancy B. Shuger.

Brian James Rogers, 24, of the 1800 block of N. Fulton Ave. was informed of the no-bail status through a sign-language interpreter in the courtroom.

Mr. Rogers cannot hear or speak, police said.

He is charged with first-degree murder and child abuse in the killing of his 9-month-old son, Eric Rogers, early Tuesday morning.

The assault occurred after Mr. Rogers had an argument with his common-law wife, Andrea Brunson, 27, police said.

Mr. Rogers was also charged with attempted murder and a second count of child abuse for allegedly beating his stepson, Richard Brunson, police said. Richard suffered a fractured skull and was in stable condition yesterday at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

According to police, Richard was struck in the head early Tuesday morning, then picked up by the legs and thrown into a wall at the family home. Ms. Brunson, who witnessed the assault, grabbed the injured boy and rushed him to Shock Trauma, police said.

Eric remained at the house with Mr. Rogers, police said. Ms. Brunson stayed with Richard at the hospital for several hours and returned to find that her other son Eric had also been severely injured, police said.

The boy's mother, who is also deaf and unable to speak, took him to her great-grandmother's home in the 2100 block of McCulloh St., where police were called.

"Eric Rogers sustained injuries to the head consistent with violent shaking of the infant," court charging papers said. The boy was taken to Shock Trauma, where he was pronounced dead at 10:26 a.m. Tuesday.