Man Charged After Girl Found Beaten, Burned in Maplewood Apartment
A 26-year-old Maplewood man has been charged with 2nd-degree murder after authorities found his girlfriend’s 17-month-old daughter severely beaten and burned inside a Maplewood apartment earlier this week.
Terrance Valdez Leslie is accused in the young girl’s death Tuesday, Oct. 18 on the 1400 block of County Rd. B. E.
Police and medics responded to the apartment around 7:30 p.m. after the initial report of a child with serious burn injuries.
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WARNING - the following contains details of child and domestic abuse that some may find disturbing to read
In the apartment unit, police found the 17-month-old girl with “fresh burns” to her right check, each side of her neck, her forearm and shoulder. The girl was “extremely lethargic” and unresponsive, according to documents filed in court Thursday.
Medics attempted to resuscitate the girl and she was rushed to the hospital, but she went into cardiac arrest and died about 2 hours later, the documents said.
Leslie told officers that he was preparing a bath for the girl and needed to leave the bathroom to tend to his dog. Leslie alleged that he heard a “thud and a splash,” finding the girl in the tub, burned by the hot water. An emergency room physician told officers that bruises on the girl’s body were old, indicating ongoing physical abuse.
The bathroom tub was completely dry at the time except for a few droplets near the drain, the documents said, and there were no damp towels in the bathroom. The burn patterns on the victim also did not match the story that Leslie was providing to officers.
The girl had dark bruises over her back and abdomen, with fresh bruises to her face and blood behind her eardrum, indicating a brain injury.
Officers also interviewed the child’s mother, who said she had been dating Leslie for the last two to three months and they’d recently been living together. The woman—who has not been charged with any crime—was at work at the time of the incident, the documents said, and Leslie was watching the child.
After she initially denied that Leslie had physically abused her in the past, the woman said that he had punched and kicked her, including one instance while she was holding the child.
Police searched Leslie’s cell phone after obtaining a warrant and found several disturbing videos that showed him physically abusing the young girl.
Leslie’s phone also included a Google search about the degree of burns caused by “boiling water,” the documents said.
The girl’s death was ruled a homicide and caused by multiple traumatic injuries from assault. An autopsy also found injuries consistent with sexual assault.
Leslie’s first appearance in court is set for Friday. He was previously convicted of illegal possession of a firearm.
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