CINCINNATI, OH – A man has been indicted in connection with the murder of a 21-month-old toddler in Westwood, as official news from the Hamilton County Prosecutor reveals.
Edward Murray, 23, faces charges of two counts of murder, a single count of felonious assault, and one count of child endangering for his alleged role in the death of the toddler, Kareem Keita. The indictments came from prosecutor Melissa Powers’ office.
Keita was unresponsive and not breathing when paramedics were dispatched to a residence on May 2. The child was transferred to Cincinnati Children’s, where he received intensive care unit treatment. However, Keita was pronounced dead three days later on May 5.
Detailed examinations revealed that Keita had suffered from several severe injuries, including cardiac arrest with severe diffuse hypoxic-ischemic injury, complex right parietal and occipital bone fractures, rib fracture and subdural hemorrhage, and grade 5 liver lacerations with hemoperitoneum, among others.
Physicians specializing in child abuse at Cincinnati Children’s concluded that such injuries could only result from violent impacts against objects or inflicted blows.
As per an official statement, Powers’ office shared that Keita’s mother and Murray had been dating for about three months at the time of the incident and that Murray had been alone with Keita both on the night of the incident and the morning after, when the child was found unresponsive and not breathing.
Edward Murray has not provided an alternative explanation for the child’s injuries. If convicted, he could potentially be facing a maximum sentence of life in prison.