A judge called a couple’s long-term abuse of their children “systematic torture” as prosecutors say the couple video-surveilled them, malnourished them, and beat them – leading to the death of an 8-year-old boy – despite multiple reports to DCFS.
The boy’s mother, Dominique Servant, 33, and her boyfriend, Joey L. Ruffin, 38, were both charged with first-degree murder with the intent to kill or do great bodily harm, first-degree murder with the strong probability of death or great bodily harm and child endangerment causing death.
The Round Lake Beach Police Department and Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District responded around 2:05 p.m. Friday to a report of an unresponsive child at a residence at the Cedar Villas Apartments in the 1900 block of North Cedar Lake Road in Round Lake Beach.
Police officers arrived on scene and immediately performed CPR on 8-year-old Markell Pierce, authorities said.
Paramedics arrived afterwards and took over life-saving efforts on Pierce and rushed him to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where he was pronounced dead in the emergency room at 3:43 p.m.
“First responders noticed the child appeared malnourished and had bruising on his body,” Covelli said. “Based on the suspicious injuries and circumstances, Round Lake Beach Police requested the assistance of the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.”
Ruffin, who has been dating Servant since 2021, was interviewed by investigators, Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Jeffrey Facklam told Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim during the couple’s detention hearing Monday afternoon.
Ruffin moved into the Round Lake Beach apartment shortly after the two started dating, Facklam said.
The couple lived with three children in the apartment – Pierce, his 10-year-old sister, and a 3-year-old.
Ruffin is the biological father of the three-year-old only and is not biologically related to Pierce or the 10-year-old, Facklam said.
Servant is the biological mother of both Pierce and the 10-year-old girl, Covelli said.
Between 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. Friday, Ruffin noticed Pierce was acting sluggish, so he put the boy in a cold shower, Facklam said in court.
Ruffin brought the boy downstairs, sat him on a freezer chest and left him there, Facklam said.
Ruffin then noticed the boy had slumped over.
Facklam said in court that Ruffin slapped Pierce and attempted to perform CPR.
Ruffin called Servant over FaceTime, and she told Ruffin to call 911, Facklam said in court. That prompted the police and fire/rescue response to the apartment at around 2:05 p.m.
After taken into custody, Ruffin told investigators that on Friday morning, a video camera placed in Pierce’s room showed him lying down and wrapped in a plastic sheet, Facklam said.
Ruffin told police the plastic sheet was placed on the floor because it is where the boy goes to use the bathroom.
Ruffin told the boy through the camera to stand up, Facklam said in court.
Later in the morning, Ruffin saw Pierce with a sheet and pillow, which he was not allowed to have, Ruffin told police.
Ruffin said the boy was not allowed to have the bedding because of what he called the boy’s urination and defecation problems, Facklam said in court.
Facklam also said in court that Ruffin allegedly punished the boy by hitting him two times with a belt and forcing him to hold an eight-pound weight above his head.
Both Ruffin and Servant told investigators that forcing the boy to hold the weight above his head is a routine form of punishment, which would go on for hours or even up to a full day, Facklam said.
Ruffin is alleged to have hit the boy with the belt approximately ten times after Pierce wouldn’t eat, Facklam said.
Ruffin would often record himself punishing the boy on his phone, Facklam said in court, and that six videos were obtained by police when investigators searched his phone Friday.
In that video timestamped one hour before the boy died, Pierce – who was shirtless and visibly had bruises on his upper body and head – was standing in the corner of a room and was verbally abused by Ruffin, Facklam said in court.
Ruffin also told police that Pierce and his 10-year-old sister were taken out of school to punish the boy for urinating or defecating on himself at school, Facklam said in court.
But, Facklam said Servant told investigators in her interview that she pulled the two out of school because she was “tired of DCFS being called” on her and Ruffin.
Servant told investigators that the school staff were concerned with Pierce’s malnourishment and weight.
Investigators are still forensically analyzing Servant’s phone, Facklam said.
Servant said she would be responsible for punishing the 10-year-old girl with a belt and weight, while Ruffin would handle the punishment of Pierce.
Servant told investigators that she and Ruffin would regularly deprive Pierce of food while eating themselves, Facklam added.
Both told investigators that the last time Pierce was given food was on Wednesday, February 4.
Servant also admitted to polie that she witnessed Ruffin punch Pierce on Thursday, February 5, Facklam said.
She said that the most recent belt used on Pierce was the third belt because the last two had worn out from the abuse.
The 10-year-old sister was interviewed at the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center and corroborated the same type of abuse, where she would be hit with a belt and forced to hold weights over her head, Facklam said.
The girl told authorities she and Pierce would regularly be confined to their rooms – which were under video surveillance – and could not leave without permission, even just to use the bathroom.
The girl did not see Pierce at all on Friday.
The girl also had signs of malnourishment and abuse and was admitted to Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago where she remains to receive care, Facklam said.
While searching the apartment, investigators found that alarms were set at the doors of both of the children’s bedrooms and would go off when the doors opened.
Investigators also found cameras throughout the apartment, Facklam said.
One of the abuse videos on Ruffin’s phone was dated April 2024, Facklam said, meaning the abuse had been ongoing for at least 22 months.
Servant was also instructed to bring Pierce to the hospital in August 2025, but she said that she did not do so.
Ruffin claimed that Pierce went to the hospital four months ago, but investigators were unable to corroborate his claim, Facklam added.
An autopsy performed by the coroner on Pierce on Friday showed evidence of injuries and malnourishment, but further results are pending.
Facklam told Judge Nerheim that the initial observations on Pierce’s body are consistent with all the other evidence that the boy was severely malnourished and physically abused long-term.
Facklam also emphasized that Servant participated in and allowed the abuse to happen in her apartment, and that she knew what she was doing because her 3-year-old was not subject to abuse while the other two kids were.
Facklam also had an “extreme concern” that either Servant or Ruffin could have access to the surviving children and pose a threat to them if they were released.
Nerheim said he considered all the evidence provided to him and said that it “clearly amounts to long-term systematic torture.”
The judge granted prosecutors’ petitions to deny Servant and Ruffin’s pre-trial releases.
Both remain held in the Lake County Jail and are scheduled to appear for their preliminary hearings on March 3.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart released a statement after the detention hearing, calling Pierce’s death “preventable.”
“I will say this: if you see signs of a child being abused or malnourished, report it. If you need help as a parent, get it. If you are abusing your child, stop it now,” Rinehart said, adding that his office is dedicated to prosecuting cases where children are hurt.
“I want to thank the Round Lake Beach Police Department, the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center, and the prosecutors in my office for their tireless and thorough work so far in this difficult case.”
The case remains under investigation by the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, Round Lake Beach Police Department and Lake County Coroner’s Office.