The 8-year-old was apparently the oldest child in the house and left there the supervised the 1-year-old and three other children. He attacked and killed the child because the she wouldn’t stop crying. And where was the mother you ask? She was out clubbing for the night!
An 8-year-old Birmingham boy is charged with murder in the beating death of a toddler girl left in his care, the youngest person in recent memory charged with murder in Jefferson County.
The girl’s mother is charged with manslaughter after police say she left her young daughter in the care of a group of children while she partied at a nightclub.
“This is one of the most heartbreaking investigations that I have seen in over 30 years of my law enforcement career,” said Birmingham police Chief A.C. Roper.
“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,” Roper said. “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.”
Kelci Devine Lewis, who turned 1 in May, was found unresponsive in her crib at 10:45 a.m. Oct. 12. Police were called to the home on Second Avenue South, and Kelci was taken to Children’s of Alabama where she was pronounced dead at 11:07 a.m.
Authorities have said there were visible injuries to the girl. She died from blunt force trauma to the head, and internal injuries, Birmingham police spokesman Lt. Sean Edwards has said.
