An 11-year-old Ohio girl has been charged with murder for beating a 2-month-old baby to death in Wickliffe.
The juvenile suspect, accused of causing the death of Cleveland baby Zuri Whitehead, appeared in Lake County Juvenile Court for a detention hearing on Feb. 9, the Associated Press reported. A juvenile judge entered a not-guilty plea for the 11-year-old.
"The victim in this case did suffer severe physical trauma. The preliminary autopsy results show that the cause of death was due to multiple acts of blunt force trauma, any one of which could have been the cause of death," said Lake County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Elizabeth Cullivan.
On Friday, the infant's mother asked a family friend and her 11-year-old daughter to babysit Zuri for the night since she wanted a break.
Around 3 a.m., the 11-year-old, her mother and the baby girl were on a couch downstairs when the mother fell asleep, Wickliffe Police Chief Randy Ice said at a news conference on Monday.
Less than an hour later, the mother was awakened by the daughter, who was holding the badly-injured infant, according to Action News. The suspect's mother immediately contacted 911 and reported that the infant wasn't breathing.
"It's not responding at all?" the dispatcher asked.
"A little bit. She's breathing but her eyes are closed," she responded.
At 3:43 a.m. Wickliffe police and firefighters responded to the 1500 block of Ridgewick Drive for a report of a female baby in distress.
After being rushed to Lake West Hospital, Zuri was later airlifted to Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, where she died.
"The baby suffered excessive internal injuries and in spite of the efforts by the hospital staff, the child succumbed to those injuries later in the morning," Wickliffe Police Detective Lt. Pat Hengst told The News-Herald. "We are treating the death as suspicious."
"Heartbreaking. Absolutely heartbreaking. All I saw was four cop cars lined up and I knew something was happening. But I didn't know to the gravity of the situation. It's terrible," neighbor Devyn Woods said.
Meanwhile, the 11-year-old girl is being kept in the Lake County Juvenile Detention due to her being a possible threat to herself or the community. She will receive a competency evaluation.
A conviction of the charge, an unclassified felony, could come with penalties including institutionalization in a secure facility of the Ohio Department of Youth Services until she is 21 years old or placement into the custody of Lake County Job Family Services, Lawson said.
A new court date has not yet been scheduled.
