Mother of victim charged with manslaughter.
By Raif Karerat
An 8-year-old boy is being charged with beating a 1-year-old girl to death while they were left home alone as their mothers went to a nightclub, Alabama police announced on Nov. 10.
Birmingham police spokesman Sean Edwards said the boy beat and killed 1-year-old Kelci Lewis when she wouldn’t stop crying, according to local news outlets. The mother of the toddler, 26-year-old Katerra Lewis, has also been charged with manslaughter for her role in the death of her daughter.
Following the attack, authorities believe the 8-year-old put the injured Kelci back in her crib, where she remained until her mother found her the following day. Katerra Lewis and the other adult were reportedly gone from 11:30 p.m. until 2 a.m.
A 6-year-old who was in the home that night told police what happened, Edwards said, and the information was consistent with the toddler’s injuries. Kelci Lewis suffered severe head trauma and major damage to her internal organs.
Meanwhile, Kelci’s grandmother, Waynetta Callens, told the Alabama Media Group that she disputes what police are saying transpired, and insists that there was another adult in the home with the children.
“Katerra is not the type of parent that they are trying to portray her as,” Callens said. “We all will have our day in court. Never judge a book by its cover, which means don’t try to judge from the outside.”
Police have not and will not release the name of the 8-year-old boy, who is in the custody of the Department of Human Resources.