A toddler was beaten to death while defending his mother from her abusive boyfriend during a fight about groceries.
The lad, Jamil ‘JB’ Baskerville Jr was present when his mum’s partner, Zachary Tricoche, 24, started arguing with her about her food purchases.
The two-year-old became upset and ‘stepped in to intervene’ after Tricoche allegedly shoved the woman at a home in New Jersey, US.
This enraged Tricoche, who punched the 29lb youngster so hard in the chest that he fell onto a wall and struck his head, prosecutors said.
| Tricoche |
When JB got back up, the boyfriend then allegedly told the tot to ‘put up his hands’ to fight like a grown man before punching him a second time.
The impact of the strike caused the child to hit his head against the wall again, and left him with severe injuries to his organs.
He tragically bled to death after his tiny liver was crushed, a medical examiner ruled.
Now, Tricoche, from Pennsauken, has been arraigned on first-degree murder charges following JB’s death on the night of August 20.
He did not enter a plea and his bail was set at $ 1million cash.
Tricoche started arguing with JB’s mum after he became upset because she had bought the ‘wrong’ groceries, a probable cause affidavit states.
Moments later, he allegedly lashed out at her, shoving her to the ground.
Moments later, he allegedly lashed out at her, shoving her to the ground.
This caused little JB to grow upset and cry out.
Camden County assistant prosecutor, Christine Shah, said: “According to JB’s mother, the defendant then punched JB in the chest, and punched him hard.
“So hard, in fact, he went back against the wall and struck the back of his head.
“When he got up, Tricoche punched him again, a second time, causing him to again hit his head against a wall, rendering him unconscious.”
Emergency crews arrived at the scene in Mansion Boulevard, Pennsauken, at around 11.30pm after JB’s mum called 911.
Police have since released an audio recording of the emergency call, in which the distraught mum describes how her son has ‘bruises on his chest’.
The youngster was rushed to Cooper University Hospital, where he was found to have a lacerated liver, internal bleeding and other serious wounds.
He shortly passed away from his injuries.
Tricoche appeared in court alone, but told the judge that he did have a public defender he understood the charges against him, according to NJ.com.
Mirror UK
