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Court documents: 23-year-old 'slammed' baby to the ground

Alex Radulovic.jpg
Posted at 12:46 PM, Feb 08, 2022
and last updated 2022-02-08 12:47:54-05

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A probable cause affidavit filed with the 61st District Court is revealing new details surrounding the death of a 1-year-old boy.

According to the documents, Alex Radulovic, 23, said he "got upset and accidentally did the wrong thing."

The death of Alexander, "Xan," Butler has been ruled a homicide due to head trauma by the Kent County medical examiner.

Radulovic, Xan's mother's ex-boyfriend, admitted he harmed the child the morning of February 5th while Xan's mother was at work.

RELATED: Man charged, mother mourning death of 1-year-old boy

Radulovic told police he was kneeling on the ground when he wrapped his fingers around Xan's chest and slammed the child to the ground 2-3 times.

After that, Radulovic told police he tried to splash water on the child's face, but the baby didn't wake up. Court documents say Radulovic attempted to give Xan CPR.

According to the documents, Radulovic then leaves the baby in the crib at the apartment alone for some time. The couple lived at 50 Weston in downtown Grand Rapids.

Radulovic told police he smoked a cigarette and went for a walk, then met up with a man named Arian Wolak.

Wolak enters the home with Radulovic. Wolak, according to the documents, reports hearing baby Xan "groan."

MORE: Family seeking justice after death of one-year-old Alexander "Xan" Butler

After that, Wolak looks at the baby, sees that the child has severe bruising around his head and purple lips.

Radulovic calls 911 and brings the child out to the ambulance, according to the documents.

When explaining why he got so angry with the child, Radulovic is documented as telling authorities it was the child's "fussiness, crying, and irritability" that set him off. He also mentioned not having the child's mother there for when he "gets like that" was a factor in his anger.

Alissa Butler, Xan's mother, left for work at 5:45 according to the documents. It was just her third day at a new job. The only bruising Alissa reported her child had prior to that morning were bruises on his knees, from learning to walk.

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