A toddler who was starved to death by his grandparents won’t get the superhero treatment, thanks to DC Entertainment.
Five-year-old Jeffrey Baldwin’s tragic death 12 years ago caught the attention of an Ottawa man after a coroner’s inquest last winter.
Todd Boyce raised enough money online to erect a life-size bronze statue of the little boy in his beloved Superman duds, but the comic-book empire refused to be associated with it.
According to the Toronto Star, DC’s senior vice president of business and legal affairs, Amy Genkins, told Boyce in an email that “for a variety of legal reasons, we are not able to accede to the request, nor many other incredibly worthy projects that come to our attention.”
The little Baldwin didn’t have much in his short life — his teenage parents lost custody of him to his maternal grandparents, who later starved him to death — but he loved Superman.
Totally disgusted with @DCComics over this Jeffrey Baldwin thing. Proves they are money grubbing and heartless. No more of my money,DC!
— Jason Marcy (@jaymarcydaman) July 7, 2014
“He wanted to fly,” the boy’s father, Richard, said during testimony in the years-long case. “He tried jumping off the chair. We had to make him stop. He dressed up (as Superman) for Halloween one year. He was so excited. I have that picture at home hanging on my wall. He was our little man of steel.”
Boyce said the statue is all ready to be cast, but now he has to change the iconic Superman “S” that was going to be on the chest to a “J.”
“It was important for me because I really felt I wanted to capture the photograph of Jeffrey wearing his Superman costume and have it as close to that as possible,” Boyce told CBC.
Read a lot about .@DCComics refusal to permit Jeffrey Baldwin “Superman” memorial. Someone should get Bizarro out of DC PR. #onpoli #TOpoli
— David Weisz (@DavidWeisz) July 8, 2014
Baldwin died 12 years ago after being locked in a urine-stained bedroom, where he withered away to the weight of a baby, by his grandparents, who were later convicted of second-degree murder in 2006.
His sister was also abused.
Boyce told Canadian media he believes DC didn’t want to be associated with child abuse.
He’s hoping the statue will be ready by September, when he plans to have a dedication ceremony to celebrate the life of the little superhero.