7-Year-Old Beat Baby To Death, Police Say

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TAMPA - The adults sat outside an apartment in Jackson Heights Estates, talking well into the night while the children slept upstairs.
Shortly after midnight, the 7-year-old son of Ross Jenkins came out the front door of 3727 Lowry Court. The baby's bleeding, the boy said, according to Tampa police.

Jenkins, 34, and his girlfriend, Shernelle2 Simms, 21, went to check on Jayza, their 7- month-old daughter. She wasn't upstairs where they left her but on a pile of blankets downstairs, the right side of her head slightly swollen and bruised, police said.

What happened to Jayza in the early hours of May 22 took days to unravel and disturbed officials, who now must weigh the consequences.

Jayza died about 1 a.m. on May 23 at St. Joseph's Hospital, public records show.

The 7-year-old told police - after three interviews with his mother present - that he kicked Jayza, punched her in the face and twice struck her in the head with a 2x4-inch piece of wood from the apartment.

``The only explanation he gave was that he wanted her to stop crying,'' police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said Wednesday.

The baby's parents rushed the unconscious infant to a hospital on May 22 after the 7- year-old alerted them of her distress, McElroy said.

The day Jayza died, the 7- year-old told detectives he had dropped her on her head, she said.

A day or so later, the boy told detectives another family member had dropped Jayza and possibly had stepped on her head, McElroy said.

By Friday, detectives had the results of an autopsy, showing Jayza's skull was cracked, McElroy said. They talked to the 7-year-old a third time, telling him it was impossible for her to be injured the way he had indicated. At that point, he described how he took Jayza from her bed, placed her on the blankets and beat her.

The 7-year-old, who had been visiting his father, lives with his mother in Lakeland, McElroy said. She did not identify the boy or his mother because no criminal charges have been filed against him. He is in his mother's custody while authorities determine how to handle the situation.

The Department of Children and Families asked a friend and her child who were staying with the boy and his mother to find other accommodations, McElroy said. The agency has no investigation open on the 7-year-old, to the best of her knowledge.

The DCF could not confirm or deny its involvement Wednesday.

Investigators forwarded the case to the state attorney's office on Tuesday for prosecutors to review. The case is perplexing, said Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi, because of questions about the competency of a child this age.

``We've never seen a 7-year- old accused of such a serious crime,'' Bondi said. ``You never expect to see a case like this. The entire situation is very disturbing.''

Police released details of the baby's death Wednesday, the same day prosecutors in New York City decided to charge a 9-year-old girl with manslaughter, accusing her of fatally stabbing an 11-year-old playmate.

Attempts to reach Jenkins and Simms were unsuccessful Wednesday. A neighbor shouted at a reporter who knocked on the couple's door. The property manager asked the reporter to leave.

``I remember when that happened,'' said one pregnant woman, who accepted the reporter's business card to give to Simms. She declined to say anything more.

Investigators said Jayza's 2- year-old sister and a 6-year-old friend of the 7-year-old were asleep in the apartment when Jayza was injured.

McElroy said as far as she knew, neither Jayza's parents nor the friends with whom they were socializing outside heard the baby crying.

During a search of the apartment, detectives found the piece of wood the boy told them he used, with the baby's hair on it, McElroy said.

``The detectives were so upset by this,'' she said. ``They never saw a child as young as 7 show so much violence or so little remorse.''

The boy's mother told police he had shown aggressive behavior in kindergarten, beating up other children after taking a karate class, McElroy said. The mother switched him to a class with bigger kids, and the aggression seemed to stop.

As authorities mulled the 7- year-old's fate, Jayza's parents tended to hers. They buried her Saturday, public records show, in Memorial Park Cemetery on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Her grave rests with those of other children, in a section the funeral director called ``baby land.''

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What in the heck is going on in the world!!


So here is another case where a young child commits murder. What do you think should be done with the children who commit these crimes?

Message edited 6/2/2005 8:21:00 AM.

Re: 7-Year-Old Beat Baby To Death, Police Say

omg is all i can say!

Re: 7-Year-Old Beat Baby To Death, Police Say

OMG what the heck is going on.....What is the matter with these kids...

This is the third messed up story this week...First the 9 year old that stabbed the 11 year old, then the 11 year old that strangled her mother because she wanted her to clean her room and now a 7 year old beating a baby to death....

Holy Shi%

Scott

Re: 7-Year-Old Beat Baby To Death, Police Say

OMG! I am so sad from reading this.

Re: 7-Year-Old Beat Baby To Death, Police Say

how does a 7 year old have so much rage that he is capable of such a cruel act?

Re: 7-Year-Old Beat Baby To Death, Police Say

Whenever I read the paper or watch the news, I just am reminded of what sick people are out there, it is depressing.

Re: 7-Year-Old Beat Baby To Death, Police Say

somehow the parents should be held responsible for these kids action. I mean seriously, they are only kids but very messed up.

Re: 7-Year-Old Beat Baby To Death, Police Say

OMG, I have no words for the story.

Something definitely needs to be done, though. I believe that that kid knew EXACTLY what he was doing, and should be prosecuted... along with the parents, because he learned it from somewhere (if not from the parents, then from someone/thing the parents allowed get near the 7yo).

This is so sad.

Re: 7-Year-Old Beat Baby To Death, Police Say

I just wonder what should happento this 7 year old.
Should he get tried as an adult for murder?
perhaps manslaughter?
Should he go to juvinile detention? Jail A psych Ward.
Ugh I cant even imagine.

Re: 7-Year-Old Beat Baby To Death, Police Say

Message edited 6/2/2005 9:29:31 AM.

Re: 7-Year-Old Beat Baby To Death, Police Say

That is so horrible. I can't even imagine. I have a 7 year old and I can't picture him ever doing something like that. That boy needs some serious help. i wonder what they are going to do. It's so sad when I hear things like this...

Re: 7-Year-Old Beat Baby To Death, Police Say

the kid definitely needs to be punished, instituted somewhere maybe as a juvenile. As sad as is, he needs to learn that he did wrong and take responsibility for his actions.

Re: 7-Year-Old Beat Baby To Death, Police Say

Re: 7-Year-Old Beat Baby To Death, Police Say

Obviously something is going on there in that little boys head! I can't imagine a 7 year old having that much rage inside of him, Wow, I'm at a total loss. The boy needs some sort of psychiatric help, if he's doing this at 7 to his own sister, whats next???????

Re: 7-Year-Old Beat Baby To Death, Police Say

I just got sick to my stomach reading this. These are babies

Re: 7-Year-Old Beat Baby To Death, Police Say

I think that this kid needs a pysch evaluation...something doesn't seem to be ticking right.

Re: 7-Year-Old Beat Baby To Death, Police Say

That's so unbelievably horrible. I don't even know what to say.