8-year-old charged in beating death of toddler while mom went to club

An 8-year-old boy in Birmingham, Ala., has been charged with murder after a toddler was killed in his care, AL.com reported. The boy, whose name has not been released, will be the youngest boy ever to be charged with murder in Jefferson County.

The toddler, a girl who turned 1 in May, was left in the care of the boy after police said her mother went to a party at a nightclub. Kelci Devine Lewis' mother, Katerra Lewis, was charged with manslaughter. 

Kelci was found unresponsive in her crib on Oct. 12 and was taken to an area hospital where she later died. Police said she died from blunt force trauma to the head and internal injuries. 

"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,'' Birmingham police spokesman Lt. Sean 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 said the baby girl was left alone with five other children, ages 2, 4, 6, 7 and 8 in a home Lewis was sharing while she waited for Section 8 housing. Lewis and the other adult living in the home were reportedly gone from 11:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.

All other children were removed from the home. 

Contact Kristen DeSilva at kdesilva@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @kristendesilva