April 22, 2021, was a night that changed Madison Ball’s life forever. She left her 2-year-old son, Blake Sampson, in the care of her husband, Charles Edwin Brooks Jr. He should have been someone Blake could turn to for affection, love, and safety. Instead, Brooks turned out to be a monster. He beat Blake so badly that the child cannot walk and now relies on a breathing machine. Brooks is in prison, serving a 40-year sentence for nearly killing his stepson, and a jury has handed down a verdict awarding Blake’s parents $1.1 billion in damages. It’s the highest award ever in a child assault case in US history.
Brooks savagely beat his stepson.
According to court documents obtained by TXK Today, Ball went to work in Texarkana on April 22, 2021, and left Blake in Brooks’ care. He reportedly took the child to his home in Dallas, three hours away, claiming he was visiting a grandparent. Later that day, Brooks called Ball and told her Blake was unresponsive. He said the child fell off a table. When the mother insisted Brooks let her see Blake, she saw him naked and struggling to breathe.
Ball told Brooks she was going to call 911.
Brooks told Ball that Blake would just sleep it off and not to worry. When she told him she was going to call 911, he reportedly became totally enraged. Brooks told Ball he would “snap her neck” if she called for help. His threat didn’t scare her, and Ball called to get help for her son, the outlet reported.
When paramedics arrived, they found Blake with a brain bleed, brain swelling, extensive bruising on his body, and human bite marks on his legs, TXK Today reported. Brooks ultimately pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
A jury awarded the family more than $1 billion.
According to a release from The Buzzbee Law Firm in Houston, Texas, Brooks is heir to a fortune. His great-grandfather was Percy Turner, one of the original investors of Humble Oil. The jury awarded $291 million in compensatory damages for Blake Sampson. They also awarded his parents $810 million in punitive damages.
“We claim to value children in our society. This Texas jury stepped up and showed that. Don’t mess with Texas children. I hope that through this verdict, this precious child gets all the care he will need and hopefully make his life as good as it can be made under the circumstances,” lead counsel Tony Buzzbee said via the release.
Blake’s life was changed forever at the hands of a selfish monster who cared about no one other than himself. Somehow, 40 years in prison and $1.1 billion doesn’t seem like nearly enough punishment.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
