A 20-year old man has been arrested and charged with assault and endangering a child's welfare after allegedly beating to death his three year old stepdaughter after she soiled her pants, reports said.
According to a news report published by Reuters, the man was identified as Kelsey Smith while the little girl was identified as Jeida Torres.
A more detailed report published by The New York Daily News said that Jeida was found by police "unresponsive" Saturday afternoon in their apartment at Cooper St., Brooklyn. The report said the police were informed by a 911 call that somebody was screaming in the apartment.
Both news reports said that Jeida was not only beaten but she was also choked. The New York Daily News, citing an unidentified sources, said that the girl was injured in her head and body.
Another unnamed source said that Smith "got agitated" after knowing that the girl "pooped her pants or peed on herself."
The girl was taken to Wyckoff Hospital "in cardiac arrest with trauman to her head and body," The Daily Mail said. She eventually died.
Jeida was not the only victim as her 5-year old brother named Andrew was also beaten by Smith. The kid was also hospitalized but is now in a "stable condition," the report added. However, it added that Andrew might have gotten the injuries before the incident on Saturday.
Neighbor Marilyn Cruz said that Saturday's tragic killing "capped two solid weeks of fighting and violence inside the apartment." She also said, as said in the news report, that she has been calling the police to report the "ruckus", but she did not get any response, noted Daily Mail.
Torres' neighbors said that Kimberly, Jeida and Andrew's mother, and her father cried after learning about what happened to her children. Kimberly claimed she left her children with Smith as she has to go to work.
Keith Best, a 43-year old man, told the New York Daily News that he saw Kimberly's father crying and "losing his mind" when he heard the news.
Reuters said Smith was arrested in an apartment in Queens where he was found with stab wounds. He was brought to a hospital and is now in a "stable condition." Reuters citing John Grimpel, New York Police lieutenant, said that "stiffer charges could be filed [against Smith] later."