A man from Tallahassee, Florida has been charged with first-degree murder for allegedly causing the death of a one-year-old child by punching him.
According to court records, Deric Young, 25 was also indicted on a charge of aggravated child abuse by great bodily harm.
Young was in court on Monday and a judge ruled that he be detained without bond. In the same week the child died, he declined to attend his initial court hearing on two occasions.
Last month, Young admitted to law enforcement that he punched 1-year-old Ky’meria German while playing.
Young was taken into custody the day after the Tallahassee police were alerted to a 1-year-old child who was unresponsive. Upon arriving at the residence, law enforcement attempted to resuscitate the toddler, but Ky’meria was pronounced deceased upon arrival at the hospital.
Police discovered signs of foul play as they investigated Ky’meria’s death further.
The arrest affidavit for Young exposed troubling information uncovered during the investigation into Ky’meria’s death. It outlined how Young became emotional, crying shortly before he confessed to investigators about repeatedly hitting the child.
Before the young girl’s death, she had been left in his care after her original babysitter, her mother’s cousin, went to work.
One day following Ky’meria’s death, an autopsy was performed, uncovering concerning information regarding her injuries. More precisely, the examination showed that she had sustained serious injuries, such as repeated blows to the head with a closed fist that led to the child’s demise, as stated by the authorities.
Detectives interviewed Young for a second time after being informed of the autopsy findings. Initially, he denied causing harm to Ky’meria, but he eventually admitted to hitting her, as per the arrest records.
Prior to the reported abuse incident, court records suggested that Young, the suspect, had smoked marijuana shortly beforehand, claiming that it led him to feel inclined to interact with the underage girl.
Ky’meria is survived by an older brother as well as a twin brother, who court records revealed was in the room at the time of the alleged abuse, but was unharmed.
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Following Ky’meria’s tragic passing, the autopsy results indicated severe head injuries as the cause of death, resulting from repeated blunt force trauma.
Investigators conducted a follow-up interview with Young in light of the autopsy report, where he initially denied any involvement but later confessed to striking the child.
Court documents revealed that Young had consumed marijuana before the incident, claiming it influenced his actions towards the young girl. Ky’meria leaves behind an older brother and a twin, who was reportedly present during the abuse but remained unscathed.
The presence of these details sheds light on the circumstances surrounding Ky’meria’s untimely demise.