Chazarus Hill, Sr. was convicted and sentenced to 26 years in prison.

An Alameda County jury heard opening statements last week about a Oakland man accused of intentionally killing his 3-year old soon in 2003 by beating him to death because the boy made mistakes while identifying numbers and letters on flash cards.

Chazarus Hill, Sr. (pictured above) repeatedly used a belt, his fists and switches to assault his son, Chazarus "Cha Cha" Hill, Jr. who underwent a very painful and slow death after suffering contusions and internal bleeding.

Chazarus Hill, Sr. showed no visible emotion but two women on the jury panel dabbed at their eyes with tissues. The assaults occurred repeatedly in the weeks before doctors at San Leandro hospital pronounced Cha Cha dead on Sept. 20, 2003. An autopsy showed that the 40-pound toddler died of multiple injuries, including a cerebral hematoma, a blood clot in the brain brought on by the beating.

Hill's attorney told a jury, while his client had disciplined his son, he never intended to kill him and questioned whether some of the injuries could have been inflicted by Kymberly Ford, Cha Cha's stepmother. Ford was released from prison a month ago after serving part of a four-year sentence on a child abuse charge for allowing the assaults to occur. She married Hill four months before their arrests.

After Ford told Hill that she was done with their relationship, an enraged Hill said, "I don't want him. I want you. I don't give a f**k about him. Ford said that during one beating, she heard Hill tell his son, "Don't you understand? She's all I got. I'm nothing without her. I can't let you f**k it up." The little boy replied, 'It's OK, Daddy. I'm going to do better. I'm going to learn my numbers. I'm going to be a good boy.'

Hill continued to shake his son until he passed out. The little boy gave up and died right there on the kitchen floor, according to the prosecutor.

Update: Chazarus Hill, Sr. was convicted and sentenced to 26 years in prison.