Stepdad Arrested In Brooklyn Girl's Shaking Death
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The 25-year-old stepdad of a 2-year-old Brooklyn girl who died after a severe shaking has been arrested on a murder charge.
Police said Wednesday that David Adams was rearrested after the medical examiner ruled the November death of Thaiya Spruill-Smith a homicide. Adams had been previously charged with assault in the toddler's death.
A criminal complaint says Adams lifted the child up in the air and shook her several times before her body went limp. The child's grandmother said Adams shook the girl because she was crying.
There had also been a dispute between her parents as to whether the little girl's organs should be donated. Her mother, Teoka Spruill, wanted her organs donated; her father, Terrell Smith, objected.
A New York Organ Donor Network spokeswoman told The New York Times in November that organ and tissue donation "can only occur when there is agreement amongst family members."
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
