An 8-year-old boy is facing murder charges for the death of 1-year-old, Kelcia Lewis. The toddler was found lying unconscious in her crib, before noon of Oct. 12. She was immediately rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival according to CBS News.
The cause of her death came to light after it was learned that the baby's mother, Katerra Lewis, went partying at a club with a friend, the previous night. She left her daughter at a home where five other children, with ages ranging from 2 to 8, were left without any adult to look after them.
On the report by NY Times, Lt. Sean Edwards, spokesperson of Birmingham police, said, "It is believed that while the mother and friend were at the club, the 8-year-old viciously attacked the 1-year-old because the 1-year-old would not stop crying. The 8-year-old just recklessly, viciously dealt with the 1-year-old."
He added that Kelcia died due to severe head trauma and damage to her primary internal organ. All of these injuries were determined to have resulted from violent beating.
Katerra, the girl's mother, has been charged with manslaughter. Reportedly, she and her friend left the unsupervised children for 2 and a half hours — from 11:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. She surrendered to the authorities and was temporarily out of jail after posting bail of $15,000. On the other hand, the boy, whose name can't be revealed, is now under the custody of the Department of Human Resources.
"This is one of the most heartbreaking investigations that I have seen in over 30 years of my law enforcement career,'' the Birmingham police Chief, A.C. Roper was quoted as saying on Alabama News.
The police chief also expressed that he's hoping that this unfortunate incident can serve as a wake-up call to everyone.
"There are just too many deep rooted issues in this horrific crime. It's extremely troubling from so many different angles and there are no law enforcement answers to prevent it.''
"We've been concerned about the kids and the future effect on their lives. The bottom line is an innocent young baby lost her life and that should be a wake-up call for our community," Chief Roper said.
Meanwhile, group of people held a vigil for Kelci. They prepared white balloons and lit up candles in memory of the toddler. Lewis attended that event on October 20 but she was too upset to speak.
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