A Round Lake Beach man was sentenced to 35 years in prison Friday after pleading guilty to the murder of his girlfriend’s young son, according to Lake County court records.
Court files show that Tracy D. Thomas Jr. pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in Lake County Court in the 2022 death of Jayceon Wright, who was 6 years old.
At the time of Thomas’s arrest, authorities said he intentionally caused a head injury to the child in February of 2022 while he was home alone with Jayceon. When the child’s mother returned to the residence in the 1300 block of Melrose where all three lived, she found Jayceon unresponsive on the floor, police said.
The boy was brought to a local hospital and then transferred to Advocate Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge. The child died on Feb. 26, 2022, a day after Thomas was jailed on battery charges. He was later indicted on murder charges.
Thomas has remained in jail since his arrest and will get credit for time served.
In a statement, Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said, “The Round Lake Beach Police Department and our Special Victims’ Unit have held this offender accountable which we hope will assist the family in their journey towards healing. We must devote every resource we have as a society to end domestic violence and child abuse.”
