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Boy, 8, charged with manslaughter

The boy is accused of throwing his 7-month-old half-sister down stairs, then beating and kicking her.

By CANDACE RONDEAUX
Published July 19, 2005

TAMPA - The Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office has charged an 8-year-old boy accused of beating his infant half-sister to death with aggravated manslaughter. The boy is believed to be among the youngest in the country to be charged with such a serious violent crime.

"We have never seen a case like this before," said state attorney's spokeswoman Pam Bondi. "It's tough. You hope you never see one again like this."

The Lakeland boy is accused of throwing 7-month-old Jayza Laney Simms down the stairs of her parents' East Tampa home, then kicking her and beating her with a wood board on May 22. The boy was visiting his father, his father's girlfriend and their two daughters at the time and told police he was mad because the baby wouldn't stop crying.

The baby's parents were outside their apartment when the beating occurred. The baby girl's mother found the battered infant girl after the boy came outside and said she was bleeding. She was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Joseph's Hospital the same day.

Bondi said the boy is being charged as a juvenile, but he will not be arrested or booked into jail. He will remain with his mother in Lakeland until his appearance in court. A court date has not been set yet.

See tomorrow's Times or sptimes.com for the full report.

[Last modified July 19, 2005, 18:08:02]