NYC man arraigned in beating death of 3-year-old
A New York City man was ordered held without bail on Wednesday amid allegations that he beat his 3-year-old stepdaughter to death in front of her brother after she soiled her diapers while their mother was away.
Kelsey Smith was arraigned on second-degree murder and other charges in the killing of Jeida Torres on Saturday in a Brooklyn homeless shelter. Smith appeared on a closed-circuit video feed from a hospital where authorities say he was being treated after trying to slit his wrists.
Before his arrest, Smith called the Torres’s mother to tell her that he had hit the victim and that she wasn’t breathing, according to a criminal complaint. The medical examiner found that the girl died from a blunt impact to her head and torso.
Smith, 20, was seated upright and appeared alert on Wednesday as he answered routine procedural questions. Defense attorney Craig Newman was at his side, but did not speak about the allegations.