Man charged with death of Marion toddler

MARION, Ill. — A southern Illinois man is being held on $1 million bond after he was charged with first-degree murder for the death of his girlfriend’s 23-month-old son.

Twenty-five-year-old Kody S. Johnson is being held in the Williamson County jail and is set to appear in court on Sept. 9.

It wasn’t clear if he had an attorney.

Skyler West-France was just shy of his second birthday when he died on Tuesday at a St. Louis hospital, days after he was rushed to a local hospital because he was unresponsive. Authorities say the toddler was injured last weekend when Johnson was watching the boy while his mother was at work.

The boy’s mother tells WSIL-TV that he had a head injury.

Funeral arrangements are pending.