Angry babysitter broke boy's ribs, lacerated liver: Cops
Share and Follow

Zai-Twond Perry

Inset: Zai-Twond Perry (Newport News Police). Background: Virginia home where Perry allegedly murdered a 1-year-old boy he was babysitting (Google Maps).

A 20-month-old died at the hands of his babysitter, who became so frustrated that he texted the toddler’s mother to say the boy “gotta go” before breaking his ribs and lacerating his liver, Virginia cops allege.

The Newport News Police Department said in a press release its officers responded around 7:46 a.m. April 5 to a home on Cedar Avenue for a report of an unresponsive child. Paramedics arrived and pronounced the boy dead on scene. An autopsy determined the boy, who has not been publicly identified, suffered “internal trauma” leading to his death. After a “thorough investigation,” cops on Friday arrested 25-year-old Zai-Twond Perry on charges of second-degree murder and felony child abuse.

More from Law&Crime: ‘Failed to prevent abuse’: State issues damning report on hospital after NICU nurse allegedly assaulted vulnerable babies

Local NBC affiliate WAVY obtained an arrest affidavit that said the boy’s mother enlisted Perry, a family friend, to babysit her son. In an interview with detectives, Perry allegedly told detectives he found the boy playing in his own feces, the station reported. He was giving the boy a bath when he allegedly squeezed the boy’s ribs in frustration. The autopsy noted the boy bruising on the torso and broken ribs.

The child also suffered a three-inch laceration on the liver, which caused internal bleeding along with bleeding on the brain that possibly came from Perry shaking him, the affidavit reportedly said. Throughout the day, Perry allegedly texted the boy’s mother that the toddler “gotta go.”

Share and Follow
You May Also Like

Authorities Report: Man Assaults Mother and Attacks Responding Police with Acid

Background: A law enforcement vehicle drives outside of an apartment complex off…

Texas Man Reportedly Utters “Go Big or Go Home” After Wife’s Body Is Discovered

Officials in Bexar County, Texas say they expect to file murder charges…

Elderly Florida Woman Found Living in Filth and Malnourished; Caregiver Arrested

Florida authorities found “an elderly woman living in extremely hazardous and unsanitary…

Competing Arguments Clash Over Trump’s Executive Order on Elections

President Donald Trump speaks after signing a bill blocking California”s rule banning…

‘American Idol’ Exec. & Husband Were Fatally Shot by Own Gun Before Suspect Called 911 Himself

A California couple who were found dead in their home earlier this…

‘It’s tearing our family apart’: Urgent Search Underway for Wisconsin Grad Student Who Vanished After Leaving La Crosse Bar

Police in Wisconsin are searching for a 22-year-old who reportedly vanished Sunday…

Bradenton Man Arrested for Accused Windshield Stomping Following Collision

Staff report GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Trevor Dylan McKee, 33, of Bradenton, was…

Prosecutors Seek to Extend Bryan Kohberger No Contact Orders for 99 Years

Prosecutors have asked an Idaho judge to extend no contact orders for…