Brooklyn

NYC man indicted for murder after fatal beating of girlfriend's 2-year-old son: DA

What to Know

  • A Brooklyn man was indicted with murder for the beating death of his girlfriend's 2-year-old son while she was at work in August, the local district attorney's office said.
  • Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Friday that Latrell Lewis, 23, was arraigned on second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, second-degree manslaughter, and endangering the welfare of a child charges.
  • Additionally, Lewis is charged in connection with another alleged incident that took place on April 22 when the toddler also allegedly sustained a spiral fracture of his femur while his mother was away and he was under Lewis' care. In that case, Lewis allegedly failed to seek medical attention.

A Brooklyn man was indicted with murder for the beating death of his girlfriend's 2-year-old son while she was at work, the local district attorney's office said.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Friday that Latrell Lewis, 23, was arraigned on second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, second-degree manslaughter, and endangering the welfare of a child charges. Lewis was ordered held without bail and has his next court date scheduled for Nov. 17.

Lewis faces a maximum sentence of up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted of the top count. Attorney information for Lewis was not immediately known.

The charges stem from a series of alleged events that unfolded this past summer.

According to the district attorney said that, citing the indictment, on Aug.27, at around 6:30 a.m., Lewis' girlfriend left her 2-year-old son, Nasir Carter Paris, with Lewis in her home on East 68th Street in Bergen Beach when she left for work.

Later that morning, Lewis contacted the mother and alleged that the toddler was complaining of stomach pain. He called an ambulance at approximately 11:55 a.m. and the child was taken to Brookdale Hospital, according to the indictment. Nasir was pronounced dead at around 12:54 p.m. that same day.

A subsequent autopsy performed by the Office of the New York City Medical Examiner determined that the child’s cause of death was "blunt force injuries to the head and torso, resulting in a depressed skull fracture, hemorrhaging between the skull and brain, lacerations to the liver, internal hemorrhaging in the abdomen, contusion to the liver, colon, pancreas, and kidney; and bruises on his torso, neck and face," the district attorney said, citing the indictment.

The Medical Examiner determined that the child’s injuries are consistent with multiple, inflicted, blunt force traumas.

Previously, police said the toddler died after his mother's boyfriend threw him against a wall because he woke him up, fracturing the boy's skull and ultimately leading to his death.

Officers were called to the home on East 68th Street in Bergen Beach on Aug. 27 and found the boy unconscious and unresponsive and with bruising to his stomach. Lewis later admitted to throwing the boy against the wall for waking him up, which led to the boy's fatal injuries, according to police.

“Little Nasir was a helpless, defenseless child entrusted by his mother to the defendant’s care while she was at work," Gonzalez said. Instead of ensuring the toddler’s safety, the defendant allegedly beat him so severely that he tragically died. We are determined to see that this defendant is held responsible for this senseless crime, and our hearts are with his mother and loved ones as they grieve this horrific loss.”

Additionally, Lewis is charged in connection with another alleged incident that took place on April 22 when the toddler also allegedly sustained a spiral fracture of his femur while his mother was away and he was under Lewis' care. In that case, Lewis allegedly failed to seek medical attention.

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