Why Did She NOT Ask for Help?? The Story of Dominick Calhoun

Why Did She NOT Ask for Help?? The Story of Dominick Calhoun

He went to check on his grandsons at their mother’s home. The proud grandfather had heard that one of the boys wasn’t looking very well. And when he got there, he saw that his grandson was lying asleep in his bed, but he was covered in bruises and the little boy wasn’t really sleeping. He was dying. Welcome or welcome back.

This is the story of Dominick Calhoun. Dominick Calhoun was born on October 17th, 2005, in Grand Blanc, Michigan.

He was born to his mother, Corrine Baker, and his father, Eric Calhoun. Dominick also had one brother who was named Tyler Baker. Dominick was an easy-going child who had a kind heart. He also loved dancing, going snowmobiling with his grandfather, and his blanky. Dominick and his brother Tyler had moved with their parents from home to home for most of their lives.

They had even lived with both sets of grandparents at one point. And the boys had also lived with family friends as well. In 2009, when Dominick was three, Corrine Baker was given full custody after her relationship with his father, Eric, had ended. Both Eric and Corrine’s parents had also tried to gain custody of Dominick, but as you can tell, they were unsuccessful in those attempts.

And Corrine already had custody of Tyler as he had a different father than Dominick did. Corrine was also hanging around a man named Brandon Hayes. Brandon was a known drug dealer in the area. Brandon was 24 and Corrine was 25 when they met. And they remained friends for about a year before they would start seeing each other.

Their relationship actually began when Eric Calhoun was sent to prison. As she puts it, Corrine was lonely and desperate. And that’s when Brandon swooped in to save her, or so she thought. And Brandon, of course, as in a lot of these cases, was not a very stand-up guy. He had been in trouble with the law for most of his adult life. In 2004, when he was only 18 years old, he had been incarcerated for domestic assault and battery.

Then in 2007, he was sentenced to two years in prison for assaulting, resisting, obstructing, and fleeing police. And Brandon also had a few drug possession charges as well. Only three months into their relationship, Corrine, Brandon, and the boys moved into an apartment together. They were now living at the Pinehurst Apartments in Linden, Michigan.

The first few days were normal. They were unpacking, setting up their new place together. At first, Brandon was sweet to Corrine and the two boys. But only days in, Brandon would get more agitated than normal. And he was very dismissive of Corrine’s feelings. There was also the fact that Brandon did not like that Dominick’s dad, Eric, did not always pay his child support.

Brandon made his frustration with this very well known. It seemed that Brandon also might have been jealous of the fact that Corrine would let her ex see Dominick, even when he didn’t pay his child support, because Brandon’s ex would hold it against him and not let him see his own daughter if he was late on a child support payment.

About a week after they had moved in together, on April 8th, 2010, four-year-old Dominick was sitting on the couch eating a bowl of cereal and watching TV. While he was sitting there, the little boy accidentally urinated on himself. And this sent Brandon into an absolute rage. He began kicking and punching little Dominick in the head. Brandon then turned his rage towards Corrine and struck her in the face and started pulling out clumps of her hair.

He was also screaming, “Who’s going to pay for this?” The next day, Brandon once again began punching and kicking little Dominick in the head and this time in the groin as well. And when Corrine attempted to cover Dominick’s body with her own, Brandon then started kicking her in the head. He was also screaming how he didn’t want to raise Dominick and he was sick of having to pay for him since his father didn’t provide any money or support.

And during this, Brandon also told Corrine that her son Dominick was a little crackhead who deserved to die. On the following day, Saturday, April 10th, the beatings only continued. Dominick was lying in bed unconscious at this point when Brandon went in and grabbed the little boy by the arm and dragged him back out to the living room where he began beating him yet again.

And on this day, the attacks would go even further. Brandon would not only push his fingers into little Dominick’s eyes, he would also burn his tiny hands, slam him into walls, and he even pulled out a few teeth with his bare hands. On the fourth day, Sunday, April 11th, Corrine’s sister, Christine, along with three of her friends, went over to Corrine and Brandon’s apartment so they could buy some marijuana from them.

It was then that they saw Dominick lying on his bed, completely battered and bruised. And Corrine, who also had bruises on her, told them not to disturb Dominick because he was just sleeping. Corrine’s sister, however, knew something was clearly wrong, and she called Dominick’s paternal grandfather, Rick Calhoun, who came rushing over to help.

Rick knocked on the door, and Corrine answered. He had to push past her to get into the apartment. He then went to Dominick’s room, where he saw him laying on his bed, completely beaten up. At first, Rick thought maybe the little boy had just taken a bath and then fallen asleep. But he wasn’t. He was dying. Rick Calhoun immediately contacted the authorities, who were, by the way, less than three minutes away from the couple’s apartment.

Brandon tried telling Rick that somebody else had beat up Dominick. At that point, Rick punched him right in the face. Rick felt like the pair had already had a plan for what they were going to do with Dominick’s body after he had died, and he felt like he had probably interrupted that plan. Once police officers had arrived and entered the apartment, they found Dominick in his bedroom lying on his back, wearing only a T-shirt and Pull-Ups.

They also found his favorite blanky, splattered with blood. Dominick was unconscious at the time and making a moaning sound. A police officer who had arrived on the scene, Angelo Penos, said he was devastatingly shocked when he first saw the little boy. And he lost his demeanor and turned to Corrine and Brandon and yelled, “What the [expletive] kind of animals are you? Look at this little boy.”

The paramedics immediately transported him to the Hurley Medical Center. There, a portion of Dominick’s skull had to be removed to help relieve pressure because his brain was so swollen. The doctors had no hope that Dominick would pull through. His injuries were so severe. Doctors said that every inch of his body was covered in bruises, including the soles of his feet.

He was declared brain dead and placed on life support. Family members stood around Dominick’s hospital bed on April 12th, 2010, as doctors unplugged the life support machine and declared Dominick Calhoun dead. 24-year-old Brandon Hayes was arrested and held without bond on nine different charges, including torture, murder, child abuse, assault, and various drug possession charges.

He admitted what he had done to Dominick. Now, Corrine was also transported to a hospital. Corrine had suffered broken bones, bruises, and cigarette burns. She had also been in and out of consciousness. But as soon as she was released from the hospital, Corrine was arrested as well and charged with second-degree murder for what she did not do to save her son Dominick’s life.

She was booked in a county jail. However, she was shortly after released on bond. Now, Corrine would say she had fought so hard to save her son Dominick’s life, yet everyone was blaming her. She told police that Brandon had held her and Dominick hostage and that she wanted to get the little boy medical treatment, but Brandon told her that she could not.

Corrine said that every time she tried to get to Dominick, Brandon had ripped her away. But the truth was, Corrine had not done enough to save her little boy. In fact, investigators had found out that she had left the apartment twice during those four days of the attack. But since she was on probation and had violated it by moving out of Livingston County, as well as being on drugs, she didn’t go get any help.

And one of the places Corrine had actually gone was with her parents to a doctor’s appointment on Friday, April 9th. Her parents later said that during that trip, Corrine seemed smiley and happy and she even spoke to Brandon on the phone in front of them. Her mother, Julie Baker, said, “I’ll say this until the day I die. All she had to do was say one word. Just one.”

Later that same day, Corrine, Brandon, and the boys would go to the dollar store with Brandon’s father, Arnold Hayes. Now, Arnold would notice the severe burns on Dominick’s hands as well as the bruising to his head. Corrine told him that another child had actually burned Dominick’s hands with a hot stick that they had taken from a fire pit that was nearby the apartment.

There we go, blaming another kid again. Arnold advised them that they needed to get Dominick to the emergency room to get treated for his injuries. But Corrine said that she would not bring him because she was afraid that she would get blamed for those injuries. Brandon’s father would also later say that his son was in a very raw mood because he had spent over a hundred dollars on their shopping trip that day.

His son did not like having to spend lots of money. The trip home in the car was full of tension. Now, another person who had seen Dominick during these four days of the attack was Brandon’s uncle, Rodney Keen. He had also been to the apartment that Friday, and he saw that Dominick’s hand was red and very swollen. He told them to get him to the emergency room, just like Brandon’s dad had.

But they again told him that they weren’t going to because they claimed they had warrants out for their arrest and they didn’t want Child Protective Services involved. And while he was still there that day, Rodney confronted Corrine again about getting Dominick medical attention. And at the time he did this, Brandon was not in the room.

But Corrine brushed him off and didn’t ask him for any type of help whatsoever, even though she knew that Brandon was not within earshot. Since she was not listening to him, Rodney made the decision to call Corrine’s mom. Corrine’s mom then called her over and over again trying to get her to take Dominick to the doctors. And although Dominick was vomiting and bleeding, Corrine did not.

“He took all of my clothes from me. He caught me. I was going to jump over the balcony because I didn’t know what else to do. I know my baby’s gone. And I wish it was me. And he was still here. That’s what I wish. And I will fight. And I will make sure that the monster that did this is gone forever. And he’ll never see another light of day again.”

“How did this start? What did he do?” “It started because I went to the doctor on Friday with my mom and my dad. And Brandon called me and told me about a burn. He said that he had washed Dominick’s hand and the skin peeled off his hand. And Tyler, my oldest son, I’m assuming he him into the story. He told him that, um, Dominick burnt his hand, another kid burnt it with a stick.”

“And I just had an awful feeling. So, Saturday I confronted him.” “So, he had burned He burned Dominick with scalding hot water.” “Why did he do that?” “I don’t know. I don’t know. And I wasn’t there to protect him. And then when I was there, he he was trying to kill me.”

And when my sister walked through the door on Sunday, it was like an angel literally was sent to that door. And even though I said out loud, “Don’t call the cops,” because he threatened if I called the cops, he would kill me. And I didn’t want her to him to hurt her because he had her cornered in the doorway, you know.

So, it was like a psychological game. Yes. Yes, to get him to not to so that she could get away. Yes. Obviously, she’s going to do what Yes. And she did the right thing. She went and got Dominick’s grandpa. Rick Calhoun came in and thankfully, you know, he called 911. It was too late. And when you fight so hard to keep someone alive and then be blamed for it.

Corrine’s mother has also said, “Maybe one day she can admit that she did not do everything humanly possible to save her son.” And some of Corrine and Brandon’s neighbors had made statements saying that they had heard many loud noises, including cries, coming from the apartment, but nobody had notified the police. One neighbor even heard Dominick yelling, “Mommy, make him stop.” Still, nobody called the police. Unbelievable.

Corrine Baker agreed to testify against her now ex-boyfriend, Brandon Hayes, in exchange for a sentence of 13 to 20 years in prison. So, in August of 2011, Corrine pled guilty to her second-degree murder charge and was given her 13 to 20 years as agreed upon. She was also given two to four years for her second-degree child abuse charge.

Now, prior to the trial, Brandon’s lawyer was saying that his client was plagued by hallucinations and he was not fit to stand trial. But, unfortunately for him, a psychiatric evaluation found Brandon completely competent to stand trial and be punished. So, in January of 2012, Brandon’s trial began. One of the people that testified during this trial was the sheriff who had been assigned to Dominick’s case.

He testified that Dominick’s case went beyond torture. And he had also spoken with veteran police officers who had seen many things. They even said that Dominick’s case was particularly gut-wrenching. He would also make the statement, “All kids talk about the boogeyman. Dominick met his boogeyman.”

Also testifying was the doctor who had performed surgery on Dominick in an attempt to save the boy’s life when he had come into the hospital that day in April. He says that the image of Dominick on the surgery table still haunts him. He could never have been prepared for what he saw that day. He told the court that it was clear to him that Dominick’s brain was not going to survive, and that he had been covered, completely covered in bruises.

And the doctor who performed the autopsy on Dominick said that these were the worst injuries he had seen on any child or adult. And on top of these statements, there was the heart-wrenching testimony from Dominick’s brother, Tyler. He had witnessed what had happened to Dominick during those four days. He told the court that his brother had up everything, including blood. And he said that he thought his brother’s leg had been broken. “Every time he stood up, he dropped back down,” Tyler said.

Tyler also told the jury that he knew Brandon hated him and Dominick. In court, a detective would also read a letter written by Brandon Hayes. It was written one day after Dominick had been taken off of life support while Brandon was in prison. It said, “Dear judge, I am so sorry for what I did to Dominick and Corrine. My heart hurts so bad for them and the family. I would never do anything like this and never had the intention of doing what I’ve done. I’m sorry, judge. I’m a drug addict.”

And what that has to do with it, I have no idea because being a drug addict does not automatically make you a psychotic murderer. And throughout his trial, Brandon showed no emotion except for when his father took the stand. At that point, he began crying. The jury had deliberated for two hours before coming back with a verdict of guilty on all counts. Dominick’s family sobbed as the verdict was read out loud.

“Justice wine, Brandon zero. That’s right. That’s what I got to say. That’s right. Woo!” Cheers, tears, embraces, and a sense of relief. Brandon Hayes was sentenced to the rest of his life in prison. The judge sentenced him to 100 to 150 years in prison for the second-degree murder conviction and life without parole for the two counts of felony murder. He also received lengthy sentences for his remaining seven counts, including 60 to 90 years in prison for torture. So, needless to say, I don’t think Brandon’s ever getting out of jail.

And that’s the way I like to see it. Brandon’s defense attorney would tell anyone who listened that authorities had charged the wrong person and that Corrine was the one who was responsible for her son’s death. He said that Corrine had a history of lying, drugs, and run-ins with CPS. But, Brandon had a history of violent crimes, so if I had to choose, his lawyer also said that even though Brandon does drugs and people may not like him for that, that does not make him a murderer.

Brandon seems to think that that they go hand in hand, though. That’s what he wrote in his letter to the judge, so you guys got to get on the same page. So, now after two years of grieving, Dominick’s family finally felt like they had some closure. Rick Calhoun even hugged one of the jurors on the way out of the courthouse, saying to them, “You made my day. You made my family’s day. You saw the truth.”

In June 2012, Governor Rick Snyder signed Dominick’s Law. This strengthens the penalties for first- and second-degree child abuse, and it also adds penalties when the abuse is committed in front of another child. In June 2013, Corrine Baker tried to get her plea tossed out and attempted to appeal the case from behind bars.

Corrine had sought to withdraw her plea, maintaining that she had been told it was the only way she would be able to testify against Brandon. But her efforts were refused by the Michigan Court of Appeals in 2014. And the Michigan Supreme Court also refused to even hear her appeal. To this day, Corrine still maintains her innocence.

She even wrote a book titled “I Didn’t Kill My Baby.” And from time to time, she updates an online blog where she talks about what happened. She has also said in one of these blog posts that she remembers the blue of Brandon’s eyes turning black that day. She said she really believed he was possessed by a demon and that he had never shown any signs of abuse prior.

In a recent interview from prison, Corrine said that she had turned her life around, including getting sober, mentoring others, and earning an associate’s degree. She’s hoping that others can find it in their hearts to forgive her. But regardless of what Corrine said, her family says that she’s never showed any remorse for Dominick’s death and hasn’t even written them one letter while she’s been in prison.

At the beginning of this year, 2023, much to the disdain of Dominick’s family, the Michigan Parole Board made the decision to release Corrine on parole. So she was supposed to have been paroled this past spring. So as far as I know, she is out there in the world again. Eric and his family tried to appeal that, but that was denied.

Dominick Calhoun’s funeral was held on April 16th, 2010, at the Freedom Center in Fenton. Hundreds of people were in attendance. Family and friends shared memories of the little boy who was known for his bright blue eyes. The stage behind his tiny white casket was filled with flowers, teddy bears, and a big plastic dump truck.

There was also a sea of blue ribbons for Child Abuse Awareness Month and hats stitched with Dominick’s name in them. Well, thank you for listening to all of Dominick’s story today. This mother is unbelievable. Acting like she did everything she could to help Dominick when she had clearly left the house multiple times, once even without Brandon, but she didn’t get any help for him.

And the police station is even within walking distance of their apartment. The torture that Dominick had to go through during those four days is hard to even think about. And now, on top of it, his mother’s out of prison. But that’s not to take away from the fact that the person who actually did do this to him, Brandon, will be in jail for the rest of his life.