B’wick Suspect Tried To Kill Self In Glendale
A Bushwick man accused of murdering his three-year-old daughter over a bathroom accident in their home last weekend was picked up in Glendale on Tuesday morning, Oct. 21, after he tried to kill himself in a relative’s home, police reported.
Though the defendant, 20-yearold Kelsey Smith of Cooper Street, remains hospitalized and at Bellevue Hospital Center, he was arraigned at bedside before Criminal Court Judge Michael Yavinsky on Wednesday, Oct. 22, according to Kings County District Attorney Ken Thompson.
Smith faces a second-degree murder charge in connection with the Oct. 18 death of 3-year-old Jeida Torres.
After police responded to reports of a crime in progress just before 4 p.m. last Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Cooper Street location, officers found the girl unconscious and unresponsive with bruises about her body, law enforcement sources stated.
A second child, her 5-year-old brother, was found conscious and alert, with bruises as well, police said.
Reportedly, when police arrived at the home, her brother answered the door. Smith allegedly became enraged at the girl over a soiled garment and stuck the dirty article in her face before assaulting her, police stated.
Both children were transported to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, where the girl was pronounced dead, according to police. The boy was listed in stable condition.
Reportedly, Torres-who was living in a homeless shelter at the time-posed as a neighbor when the 911 call was made, claiming that unruly children nearby were a problem.
He then fled the building and moments later, according to published reports, the defendant’s wife and the children’s mother called police.
Smith reportedly then traveled to his aunt’s home in Glendale where he allegedly slashed his wrists, according to police. Upon his arrest Tuesday, he was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center for treatment of his self-inflicted wounds.
Police arrested Smith after his mother informed law enforcement of his location, according to published reports.
Smith has a criminal history of 15 prior arrests dating back to 2008, police said.
