26-year-old man charged after 4-year-old died in his care in Dundalk
By ADAM THOMPSON
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BALTIMORE, Maryland (WJZ) — A 26-year-old man who was taking care of twin 4-year-old boys last May is facing charges after one of them died, according to charging documents obtained by WJZ.
Zurail Smith was arrested and charged with several counts of child abuse. He is being held without bond at the Baltimore County Detention Center.
On May 5, officers responded to an apartment on Sollers Point Road in Dundalk where the child was found in cardiac arrest and had a large laceration under his chin, according to documents.
The child, identified as Amir James, was taken to the hospital where he died. The other twin also suffered injuries.
Smith told officers he was taking care of the children but that he was not related, according to charging documents. He said the children had been living with him for about four months.
The mother of the children arrived at the hospital and told police that she did not know Smith’s name, but the twins had been living with him for about a month, according to documents.
The mother, who was reportedly living in a hotel with her boyfriend after losing her house, brought the children to live with Smith, documents said.
Smith told police that Amir fell off the couch and hit his chin on a “WWE Championship belt,” while he was playing video games.
According to documents, Amir became sleepy and unconscious, which caused Smith to call 911.
An autopsy determined the cause of death to be a homicide. According to documents, Amir had numerous injuries to his skull, resulting in severe bleeding to his brain.
The Medical Examiner’s Office determined the fatal injuries could not have been caused by another child or falling off the couch.
Smith, according to charging documents, told officers that he would sometimes “choke slam” the boys, and would pick them up by the neck and put them down on the ground on their back.
Detectives believe Smith caused the injuries to Amir, which ultimately led to his death.
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