A young Indiana boy was brutally beaten to death by his cousin because the child put his shoes on the wrong feet, the Journal & Courier reports.
The older cousin was also reportedly enraged that the child sat down to use the bathroom instead of standing up.
The disturbing allegations are contained in court records obtained by the newspaper, which reported that prosecutors on Friday charged 33-year-old Montrell Dionte Jolly in connection with the death of his cousin, 4-year-old Ke’Andre Shamar Jolly.
Officials say the charges stem from July 28, when police in Lafayette were called to an apartment around 4:30 p.m. for a report of a child having a seizure. When paramedics arrived, they found the young boy unconscious.
Initially it did not appear the boy was visibly injured, but medics later observed that his pupils appeared constricted and another seemed blown, which can be signs of a head injury.
Medics rushed Ke’Andre to St. Elizabeth East hospital. He was then flown to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis but never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead on August 1, Fox 59 reports.
Medical staff suspected that the injuries were a result of “non-accidental trauma,” according to WLFI-TV.
Investigators at the home discovered blood on a counter and sink in a bathroom, damage to the exterior of the bathroom door, blood stains on multiple walls and what appeared to be three small blunts of suspected marijuana.
Montrell Dionte Jolly allegedly told police that he was attempting to discipline the boy by forcing him to squat against a wall for a prolonged period. He allowed the child to use the bathroom but grew angry when the boy sat down to urinate instead of standing up, prosecutors allege, according to the newspaper.
Authorities say Jolly then forced the boy to continue squatting against the wall. Jolly claims he later found the boy unresponsive on the floor and attempted to resuscitate him using cold water.
An autopsy revealed the boy suffered blunt force trauma to his head and had internal and external cuts.
Jolly is facing charges of murder, neglect of a dependent resulting in catastrophic injury, aggravated battery and battery resulting in death to a person less than 14 years old. He is also facing a charge as a habitual offender, as he was on probation after a 2022 conviction for possession of meth, according to the Journal & Courier.
The elder Jolly is being held in the Tippecanoe County Jail and is scheduled for an initial appearance in court on Monday. He faces 45 to 65 years in prison if convicted on the murder charge alone.
The boy’s family has launched a GoFundMe account to raise money for his funeral.
“We are hurting deeply behind this because Ke’Andre didn’t deserve to go through the hurt, pain and injuries he suffered and died from,” the fundraiser reads.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Feature Photo: Ke’Andre Shamar Jolly/GoFundMe]
