The Bridgeport man accused of a brutal beating that killed his wife’s 6-year-old son was back before a judge Thursday where the prosecution said it wants him to stand trial for the attack at the same time as charges from alleged phone calls he later made in jail.

Abdulrahim Sulaiman appeared at the Bridgeport Judicial District Courthouse for a brief hearing, during which he stared down the family of Jathan Escobar who glared right back. The tension in court was palpable with a marshal tapping Sulaiman on the arm to get him to stop, but it didn't boil over like a prior hearing.

Instead, the state began the process of trying to combine two of the five criminal cases Sulaiman has accrued since Sept. 25, 2024. Bridgeport police said Sulaiman used a bat to attack his wife and her two little boys in their apartment on the corner of Main Street and Capital Ave. Jathan, 6, and Eli, 4, were airlifted to the hospital, where Jathan later died. Sulaiman was charged with murder, murder with special circumstances, two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of risk of injury to a minor and criminal possession of a firearm. He was also ordered to have no contact with the surviving victims, including his wife.

But the month following his arrest, Sulaiman allegedly called his wife from jail 27 times, 21 of which were answered. During the calls, which were recorded because Sulaiman was in custody, they allegedly also discussed the assault with Sulaiman asking her to lie and share the blame for what happened. It led to him being charged with 21 counts of violating a protective order, six counts of attempted violation of a protective order and one count of witness tampering, which the state wants to join with the murder case.

“We have discussed the allegations, and he understands,” said Sulaiman’s public defender, James Pastore, told the judge. “And we've gone over some of the recordings.”

Pastor also brought up the plea offer mentioned at the last court appearance, but he requested a continuance due to learning about a cellphone that police seized. “I am asking for some more time so we can track down what could be potential evidence on the phone,” Pastore said.

The judge continued the cases until April 23.

Along with Sulaiman's cases for the attack and alleged phone calls, he is also accused of assaulting judicial marshals and spitting on them on two separate occasions. He's also charged with violation of probation.

Sulaiman’s criminal history includes serving seven years in prison in New Jersey after a stabbing at a gas station, prosecutors said. He also has several prior convictions in Connecticut, including engaging police in a pursuit, larceny and drug possession. In September 2022, he pleaded guilty to assault of a police officer, risk of injury to a child and violation of a protective order. He was sentenced to two years in prison and four years of probation.

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