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Suspect charged with murder in toddler's death

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The man accused of killing a Lakewood toddler was formally charged with two counts of murder on Tuesday.

First Judicial District Attorney Pete Weir said that Roman Morales, 21, has been charged with first-degree murder-after deliberation, first-degree murder-child under 12 and child abuse resulting in death. Morales was advised of the charges against him in Jefferson County Court.

Morales is a suspect in the death of 2-year-old Donny Ro'Mello Romero. He is being held without bond at the Jefferson County Detention Center.

Romero was reported missing from an apartment on South Sheridan Boulevard Monday. He was found minutes later, in another area of the apartment, with a cord wrapped around his neck. The boy was unconscious and rushed to the hospital, but doctors couldn't save him.

Morales was one of two men inside the home when the boy was reported missing.

Morales is a friend of the child's mother and spent a lot of time at the home, according to Lakewood Police Department spokesman Steve Davis.

Davis told 7NEWS Morales was arrested because his story didn't add up.

"It's a process of listening to witnesses statements and what they're telling us and then looking at evidence," Davis said. "Do they match up? Do they corroborate one another? Sometimes the case -- it matches up perfectly and we feel good about it. Sometimes, and I'm told that's what happened... they grow farther and farther apart. Pretty soon, what you're hearing from people does not match the physical evidence that we have on scene."