Penn. couple beat 4-year-old boy to death for spilling cereal: police
WILLOW GROVE, Penn. - A young suburban Philadelphia couple is facing first-degree murder charges for the January beating death of 4-year-old Tahjir Smith, who apparently angered them when he spilled his breakfast cereal at their Willow Grove home, CBS Philadelphia reports.
The boy's 19-year-old mother, Lisa Smith, and her 26-year-old boyfriend, Keiff King, were arraigned Friday via video from the jail where they've been held since January.
Those charged with first-degree murder in Pennsylvania are not eligible for bail.
According to CBS Philadelphia, Smith told police she disciplined Tahjir after seeing him being "sneaky" and running toward the couch, also noting that he began to stutter, which he did when scared.
A probable cause affidavit shows that Smith, who is pregnant, initially told police she was walking home from the Willow Grove Mall with Tahjir when his feet became "wobbly" and he struggled to breathe. But a forensic pathologist ruled the manner of death homicide after finding that the four-year-old died of multiple blunt and thermal injuries and shock, as a result of what a district attorney called "a violent, sustained beating."
Investigators say Smith and King told them they used their hands and a sandal to give Tahjir a "butt whooping" for spilling the cereal.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele told reporters last Friday that conditions inside the couple's home were "deplorable."
"[They struck] his body so hard there were pattern imprints on the boy's buttocks when the police were finally called," Steele said.
Smith's lawyer declined comment. A lawyer listed for King did not immediately respond to a message.
King admitted to prior incidents of abuse, including throwing the boy into a scalding hot shower, according to station reporters. Forensics later showed that Tahjir sustained burns on his shoulder; Smith claimed that she was going to dial 911 after he became unresponsive, but King told her, "He is still breathing, he is cool, he is still up."
Authorities say the autopsy revealed old rib fractures the boy suffered, indicating the brutal beating was not the first.
