A 3-year-old girl was beaten to death at a Brooklyn homeless shelter on Saturday. Jeida Torres, 3, was found unconscious and unresponsive in an apartment in a city homeless shelter at 38 Cooper Street in Bushwick around 4 p.m. yesterday.
Police believe that Jeida's mother's boyfriend, 20-year-old Kelsey Smith, "punched and choked" the little girl; they add that Jeida's 5-year-old brother, Andrew, was found hiding in the corner of the apartment, also showing signs of abuse.
Cop sources tell the dailies this all occurred because of a bathroom accident. "She either pooped her pants or peed on herself, and he got agitated," a source told the News. Jeida was declared dead at Wyckoff Hospital.
Both children had bruises all over their bodies: "He had bruises on his face and his arms," local resident Keith Best told the Post about Andrew. "They were big, noticeable bruises.’"
Cops told the Post that Smith, who has 14 prior arrests dating to 2008, called 911 with the location of the children, then fled the scene. Smith was taken into custody a few hours later at a relative's house. According to the Post, he was taken to Elmhurst Hospital in Queens for treatment of self-inflicted knife wounds. Charges are pending.
