Man allegedly told toddler to put up fists and fight before punching him to death
A 24-year-old man was arraigned on murder charges on Tuesday after he punched a two-year-old boy to death.
Zachary Tricoche allegedly got into a fight with his girlfriend when she did not buy groceries he liked. During the fight, Tricoche punched two-year-old Jamil Baskerville Jr. in the chest so hard that he flew backwards into the wall.
According to a prosecutor in the case, Tircoche told the toddler to put up his fists and fight before punching him, and the boy was knocked unconscious.
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On Saturday, his mother called 911 to report that her son had vomited and then become unresponsive, and though he was taken to the hospital, he died of his injuries. A medical examination showed that Jamil’s liver was crushed, and he bled to death internally.
At Tuesday’s arraignment, Jamil’s grandfather expressed his outrage.
“You’re less of a man to sit there and put your hands on any type of child, no matter what age it is. He was two-years-old. There should be no reason you should want to hit him,” said Gerome DeShields.
