Stepfather charged in beating death of 3-year-old in Brooklyn apartment

BUSHWICK, N.Y. -- A man is under arrest in the death of his 3-year-old stepdaughter, who police say was beaten inside a Brooklyn apartment. They say her 5-year-old brother was also assaulted and found with bruises on his body.

Balloons and memorial candles now sit outside the Cooper Street apartment building, where Jeida Torres was killed. NYPD officers were back on scene again as the investigation moves forward. Jeida's autopsy was completed on Monday, and her death was ruled a homicide. The cause of death was due to blunt impact injuries of head and torso.

Authorities arrested 20-year-old Kelsey Smith. Smith was originally charged with assault, but Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson announced that Smith's charges will be upgraded to second degree murder.

Police say they received a 911 call Saturday afternoon from a neighbor, who reported screams coming from inside the shelter on Cooper Street in Bushwick.

When police arrived, they found two children inside. Little Jeida was found unconscious and unresponsive.

An FDNY spokesman says Jeida was rushed to Wyckoff Hospital in cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead.

Her brother is listed in stable condition. He told a tragic story to investigators Sunday evening and says his stepfather tried to force his little sister to eat her soiled diaper.

The children were being watched by Smith, their mother's new husband, who was not home when police arrived. Police say Smith was angered Jeida had the bathroom accident, so he took off her soiled diaper and told her to eat it.

He then kicked the girl, according to police, knocked her head against the bed frame and choked her.

"He back-slapped the kid and caught her on the rib, and then he put her in the room," relative Mark Almodovar said.

The brother tried to come to her aid, and he was punched several times, police said.

Smith then called the wife, telling her he had done something really bad to the children and that Jeida was not breathing. The mother called 911.

Police arrived at the apartment, and the brother opened the door.

The suspect initially fled to the Queens home of his stepfathers sister. He told them his version of what happened and then slit his wrists.

"He went in the bathroom, and tried to cut his veins," Almodovar said. "He felt guilty and tried to kill himself."

In video obtained exclusively by Eyewitness News, you can see what appears to be one of Smith's family members flagging down an ambulance, and then paramedics heading into the second floor unit. Smith is taken out of the apartment roughly nine minutes later.

He was taken to Elmhurst Hospital for treatment and a psychiatric evaluation prior to the transfer to Bellevue.

Smith has 15 prior arrests, most recently in August, when he was charged with criminal mischief and obstructing governmental administration, among others. Many of his arrests arrest records are sealed.

There were no prior reports of domestic violence at the location.