The 6-year-old brother of a little Brooklyn girl found drugged, beaten and starved testified Thursday in the murder case against their mother, saying that his little sister was rarely fed and was tied to the bed before her death.
Tymel Pierce spoke from a closed-circuit TV in another part of the Brooklyn court as his mother and jurors watched. He could not see them. Wearing a crisp white shirt with a vest and tie, Tymel sat with wide eyes, often sucking his fingers while answering prosecutors with short, soft-spoken sentences.
His mother, Carlotta Brett-Pierce, is charged with murder in the death of her 4-year-old daughter Marchella.
Asked by Assistant District Attorney Perry Cerrato what happened to his 4-year-old sister Marchella, the boy said: "I asked my mom what happened and she said my sister fell down the stairs."
His mother cried during most of his testimony. The grandmother, Loretta Brett, is also on trial. Both women have pleaded not guilty.
Marchella was found dead in September 2010. At her death, prosecutors say her stomach contained one kernel of corn.
With his testimony, prosecutors were trying to show that the girl was singled out for abuse while her siblings were cared for. Tymel also testified that he saw his mother give adult sleeping pills to Marchella.
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The boy often responded to prosecutors' questions by saying he didn't know the answers. When pressed on whether he didn't remember or didn't want to talk about it, he would often reply that he didn't want to talk about it.
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