19-year-old Hoover man charged with murder in death of 2-year-old girl

The Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office today charged a 19-year-old Hoover man with murder in connection with the Sept. 21 death of a 2-year-old girl.

Hoover police said in a news release today that 2-year-old Levi Ellise Pointer suffered a significant skull fracture on Thursday, Sept. 21, while under the supervision of the mother’s boyfriend, Dlonta Khalil Melton.

Melton called the Hoover 911 Center at 3:49 p.m. from The Retreat at Rocky Ridge Apartments, describing an unknown medical issue involving the 2-year-old, police said.

The Hoover Fire Department arrived on the scene within four minutes and discovered the child in severe distress and promptly took her to Children’s Hospital in a fire rescue unit, police said.

Police detectives went to the hospital and immediately began an investigation. Melton, who was the sole caregiver for the child that day, could provide no explanation as to what may have caused the child to be in distress, police said.

The 2-year-old was pronounced dead at 9:45 p.m. the same day, and the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office later determined the child suffered a significant skull fracture, police said.

Detectives returned to The Retreat at Rocky Ridge on Tuesday and took Melton into custody, and the warrant for his arrest was issued this morning.

Hoover police Chief Nick Derzis said in a written statement that police detectives have worked nonstop on this case for the past seven days.

“We said from the beginning that we were going to uncover the truth for Levi. Her mother and the rest of her family deserve to know what happened so they can attempt to find closure and some small measure of comfort,” Derzis said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of Levi’s family during this most difficult time.”

Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector said this has been a difficult case for everyone involved, and police have been very thorough and meticulous throughout their investigation. He declined to go into detail about what police believe happened to the child while Melton was overseeing her.

“We know he was the only one that had access to that baby the entire day. That child was fine when her mother left for the day," Rector said. “Now we start the process of getting justice for Levi and holding Khalil Melton accountable for his actions.”

Derrick Pointer, Levi's father, said everyone loved his little girl. "She could walk in anywhere and people would just fall in love at first sight with her," he said. "She was perfect."

Levi loved the "Minions" cartoon TV show, he said. "That's all she would watch."

Friends and family of Pointer, who lives in Talladega, gathered with him Wednesday night to release yellow balloons in memory of Levi.

Melton is expected to be transferred from the Hoover Jail to the Jefferson County Jail later today. His bond is set at $50,000.

Police are asking that anyone with information about the case to call Detective Daniel Lowe at 739-6762.

This article was updated at 12:40 p.m. with quotes from Hoover police Chief Nick Derzis and Capt. Gregg Rector, at 1:44 p.m. to correct the spelling of the suspect's name, and at 2:42 p.m. to add quotes from Levi's father.