A 3-year-old boy died Sunday after police said he was beaten by his mother's boyfriend, a 22-year-old from West Baltimore.
Charles Shelton, of Gorman Avenue, was charged with first-degree attempted murder and held at Central Booking without bail.
Prosecutors are working to upgrade charges against Shelton to murder, police said. Online court records did not list his attorney.
The toddler, Riley Powell, was hospitalized and unconscious Thursday.
Detectives interviewed his mother and discovered her boyfriend assaulted the woman and child, police said. At first, she told detectives they were jumped while walking on the street.
The boy survived four days before he died. The mother, police said, was also hospitalized from her injuries. She was not identified.