An 11-year-old Wickliffe, Ohio, girl is being charged with murder for allegedly beating 2-month-old Zuri Whitehead to death while her mother was babysitting. The 11-year-old’s mother was taking care of the infant on Friday night to give the baby’s mother a break. She fell asleep on the couch with the child at about 3 a.m., at which time her 11-year-old daughter reportedly took the baby upstairs and beat her severely.
After the beating, the 11-year-old brought the badly-injured Zuri back downstairs and woke her mother, who immediately called 911. The baby was bleeding and her head was swollen. Paramedics rushed her to the hospital. She was later airlifted to Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, where police say she died of massive internal injuries.
Wickliffe Police Chief Randy Ice said that he has never seen anything so disturbing in his three-year-career. The department is considering offering counseling for the officers responding to the scene.
A juvenile judge has entered a not guilty plea for the 11-year-old, who is being held without bond at the Lake County Juvenile Detention Center after appearing in court on Monday. She will be undergoing a competency evaluation. Zuri’s father says that the 11-year-old has emotional problems, and Ice says that police have been called to her school for incidents twice in the past. The child’s next court date has not been set.
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