The loss of a child is a tragedy that no parent should ever have to endure. Sadly, the story of Kareem Keita, a 21-month-old boy, is one that has left an indelible mark on the community and shaken the very foundations of our understanding of human cruelty.
On May 1st, 2023, a series of events unfolded that would forever change the lives of Kareem’s family. According to the authorities, Kareem’s mother, Aminata Keita, had been dating a 23-year-old man named Edward Murray for approximately three months.
On the night of the incident, Murray was outside playing with Kareem when he suddenly brought the child back inside and “directly to bed, skipping dinner” and claiming the toddler was tired.
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In the hours that followed, a disturbing sequence of events began to unfold. Murray and Aminata Keita allegedly smoked marijuana, and neither one checked on Kareem for the rest of the night.
The following morning, Murray was alone with the child when he was found unresponsive and not breathing. Tragically, Kareem was pronounced dead three days later, on May 5th, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
According to Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers, the autopsy revealed the true extent of the horror that Kareem had endured. The child had sustained a range of severe injuries, including:
- Cardiac arrest with severe diffuse hypoxic-ischemic injury
- Complex right parietal and occipital bone fractures
- Rib fracture, subdural hemorrhage
- Grade 5 liver lacerations with hemoperitoneum
- Diffuse retinal hemorrhages; and
- Brain swelling due to inner-cranial hemorrhaging
According to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office, a child abuse expert at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital determined that these injuries “could only have occurred from violent impacts against objects or from delivered blows.” The death was subsequently ruled a homicide.
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Edward Murray, the boyfriend of Kareem’s mother, was arrested and indicted on several charges, including murder, one count of felonious assault, and one count of child endangerment.
Prosecutors allege that Murray was alone with Kareem for several minutes before the child was found unresponsive and that he was unable to provide any alternative explanation for the child’s severe injuries.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers described the case as “both heartbreaking and sickening,” stating that she “cannot imagine the amount of evil required to hurt an innocent child so severely.”
Murray’s case is not eligible for the death penalty, but he could face a possible sentence of life in prison if convicted.
“This case is both heartbreaking and sickening. I cannot imagine the amount of evil required to hurt an innocent child so severely. It is genuinely disturbing to think someone capable of doing this might walk among us. I want to thank both the Cincinnati Police Department and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for their outstanding work investigating this matter; these cases are not easy. We are going to make sure that this killer goes behind bars for as long as possible,” said Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers.
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