8-Year-Old Charged with Murder for Beating 1-Year-Old to Death

An 8-year-old boy in US state of Alabama, who police said Tuesday “viciously attacked” a 1-year-old girl, has been charged with murder. The girl’s mother left the children alone to go out to a nightclub.
The girl’s mother is charged with manslaughter after police say she left her young daughter in the care of a group of children while she partied at a nightclub.
“This is one of the most heartbreaking investigations that I have seen in over 30 years of my law enforcement career,” said Birmingham police Chief A.C. Roper.
“There are just too many deep rooted issues in this horrific crime. It’s extremely troubling from so many different angles and there are no law enforcement answers to prevent it,” Roper said. “We’ve been concerned about the kids and the future effect on their lives. The bottom line is an innocent young baby lost her life and that should be a wake-up call for our community.”
Kelci Devine Lewis, who turned 1 in May, was found unresponsive in her crib at 10:45 a.m. Oct. 12. Police were called to the home on Second Avenue South, and Kelci was taken to Children’s of Alabama where she was pronounced dead at 11:07 a.m.
Authorities have said there were visible injuries to the girl. She died from blunt force trauma to the head, and internal injuries, Birmingham police spokesman Lt. Sean Edwards has said.
Family members said 26-year-old Katerra Lewis and Kelci, her only child, didn’t live at the home where Kelci was killed. Grandmother Waynetta Callens said in an earlier interview that they were staying there temporarily with friends while Katerra Lewis waited for Section 8 housing of her own.
Edwards said Kelci was left alone that night in the home with five other children, ages 2, 4, 6, 7 and 8. Katerra Lewis, he said, had gone to a nightclub with a friend who was the person she was staying with.
“It is believed that while the mother and friend were at the club, the 8-year-old viciously attacked the 1-year-old because the 1-year-old would not stop crying,” Edwards said. “The 1-year-old suffered from severe head trauma as well as major internal organ damage with ultimately led to her death.”
Police 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. Edwards said the 6-year-old in the house was interviewed at Prescott House and was able to tell authorities what happened. Those statements matched up with Kelci’s injuries.
Police have not and will not release the name of the 8-year-old boy. He is in the custody of the Department of Human Resources.
All of the children in the home that night were removed, and have not been returned to their mothers.
Katerra Lewis is charged with manslaughter. She turned herself in to the Jefferson County Jail Monday at 3:42 p.m. and was released at 5:02 p.m. after posting $15,000 bond.
Katerra Lewis attended a vigil held Oct. 20 at Avondale Park but was too distraught to speak to the group. They lit candles and released white balloons in Kelci’s memory.
The day after the vigil, Katerra Lewis posted on her Facebook that she was suffering following the loss of her child. “I keep asking can dey bring u back and take me instead.”
DHR spokesman Barry Spear said the agency had no prior involvement with Katerra Lewis or Kelci. Privacy laws, he said, prevent him from commenting about the 8-year-old suspect.
Callens told AL.com today that she disputes what police are saying happened. She 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.”
“People are already talking, I know they are,” she said. “If you don’t know the real story, keep your mouth closed because you don’t know what happened.”
Callens said the ordeal has been tough. “We’re holding on the best we can,” she said. “We just keep praying because it’s all in God’s hands. We know the truth, and we got nothing to hide.”