FL - Zahid Jones, 3, beaten to death, Cape Coral, 29 May 2007

CAPE CORAL, Fla. - A man banned from having contact with his girlfriend's 3-year-old son was indicted Thursday in the child's death.
A Lee County grand jury indicted Kashon Scott, 29, on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse, the Daily Breeze of Cape Coral reported. Scott was being held at Lee County jail without bail.

Zahid Jones and his two older siblings were removed from their mother's home March 7, after case workers found signs of abuse or neglect, a spokeswoman with the Department of Children & Families.
A judge later returned the children to Nicole Brewington's care, but said Scott, was not allowed near them.
A case manager visited Brewington's home May 25 and reported there was no sign of Scott, DCF said.
Someone called paramedics May 29 and said Jones was not breathing. He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead less than an hour later, authorities said.
Zahid's autopsy report revealed physical and sexual abuse and malnutrition. "Upon consideration of all available evidence, including the recently completed final autopsy report, the decision was made to present this case to the grand jury," said state attorney spokeswoman Samantha Syoen.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20060488/
In DCF documents, Zahid’s siblings painted a picture of a family that was anything but happy.
The report shows the child's 10-year-old half brother told a DCF counselor, "His mother should have stopped Sean (sic) from killing his brother."
"Sean" is allegedly short for Kashon Scott who was charged with murder after police say he beat Zahid so badly the child died from blunt force trauma.
The Medical Examiner Described Zahid’s death as slow and painful. His intestines ruptured, his chest muscles were torn, there was a cigarette burn on his back and his body was covered with bruises.
But a Children's Network caseworker says during her visit four days earlier, "He had no visible marks or bruises on his face, head, or upper body."
That means the abuse that allegedly killed Zahid would have occurred over a three day period.
Zahid's siblings told investigators their brother was beaten regularly up until the day of his death.
Zahid's 12 year old half-sister told a DCF counselor the night before Zahid died, he went into her bed crying and looking for comfort, but she says Kashon Scott "grabbed Zahid and body slammed him and made him leave the room."
Ultimately DCF found Zahid's mother, Nicole Brewington, at fault for her son's death. They say she ignored a court order and allowed her boyfriend to care for her children.

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070613/SS08/70612091The grandmother of a 3-year-old boy who died nearly two weeks ago, allegedly at the hands of his mother’s boyfriend, is seeking a court order for custody of his body so she can lay him to rest.

An attorney for Janice Jones, of Fort Myers, filed paperwork Tuesday with Lee County Circuit Judge Margaret Steinbeck, asking that the medical examiner’s office sign custody of the child’s body over to Jones, who is hoping to have a funeral for him this weekend.

“Even in death, he has no peace,” Jones said of her grandson, Zahid Jones Jr. “We are hoping the judge will show us favor, and let us give him a proper burial.”

The medical examiner’s office has completed the autopsy, and it can release the body even though a cause of death has not been formally released, according to Dr. Robert Pfalzgraf, who works in the office but not on this case. He said it is likely that a cause of death has already been determined because an arrest has been made. But the body has not been released probably because there is a dispute between Zahid’s parents about who should make arrangements.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/l...=3383df12-6b40-4aba-9c5b-ec04980af353&rss=794CAPE CORAL, Fla. (AP) -- A Cape Coral mother has been charged in connection with the death of her 3-year-old son. Her boyfriend is also charged with the child's death.

Authorities say Nicole Brewington is charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter. She's being held on $50,000 bond. Her boyfriend, Kashon Scott, is being held without bond in the Lee County jail on charges of second-degree murder and aggravated child abuse.
Investigators say Brewington failed to protect her son, Zahid Jones, from Scott. They say the boyfriend body-slammed Zahid in May. Paramedics found the child covered in bruises and unresponsive. Scott also allegedly sold drugs to an undercover officer while Zahid and two siblings were inside the home.

http://www.winknews.com/news/local/8956772.htmlZahid's older brother and sister told police Zahid had been sick for a few days, and that made Kashon Scott angry.

Quote: "'Zause he has threw-up in the tub... (Shon) got mad, and he whooped (Zahid) again... he shuts all the doors, but you can hear stuff banging like he knocked him to the ground."

One of the children described the beatings in more vivid detail later: "My little brother, he was falling on the ground, and then he came back up, he punched him again... (Kashon) was slapping him hard like he'd fight someone out in the street."

The children say the beating left their brother with visible signs of the violence:

"He always have marks every time (Shon) hit him, he'd get a mark... he'll get bruises."

The older siblings are not identified by name in the documents, but one admits to being hit by Scott in the past, and describes a fear of their mother's boyfriend, saying quote: "I'm very scared of him... He's a mean guy. I think he's very crazy."

That poor child!

R.I.P. little Zahid. No one will ever hurt you again.

No more pain Zahid, may he rest in peace and be with God. I feel so sorry for his siblings especially is older sister who could not comfort him. I know when my little sisters were hurt I would comfort them and I could not imagine how she must have felt and then he dies.

These kinds of stories absolutely sicken me. What is wrong with these people???? I don't understand it at all how anybody can hurt a child. I especially don't understand how a mother can stand by and watch her child being beaten. I'm glad she is being charged, she is a sorry excuse for a mother or human being for that matter.
It seems that these kinds of cases are becoming more and more common. I don't know what are world is coming to.

This story is appauling. I'm glad Mom is in trouble too.

More reason why mothers should be charged when their boyfriends hurt or kill their kids.

<snip>

1:10 A.M. &#8212; Four adults responsible for the child deaths of Michelle Fontanez, Zahid Jones Jr. and Joshua Jenkins are behind bars.

"Amen for that,'' says Department of Children and Families Suncoast Region director Nick Cox. "We're talking about people - or might I say, 'animals' - who do these things to kids.''

Animals would be accurate.

Fontanez, 13, Jones, 3, and Jenkins, 6, were abused and killed within a two-year span by their tormentors. Their deaths generated changes in the operation of the local DCF.

.....

- Oct. 30: A jury found Nicole Brewington, 34, of Cape Coral guilty of the aggravated manslaughter of her son, Zahid, who died May 29, 2007. She didn't protect Zahid from beatings by her boyfriend. She faces up to 30 years in prison. Lee Circuit Judge Mark Steinbeck will sentence her Jan. 19.

Courts previously meted out punishment for men at fault in the deaths of Michelle and Zahid.

.....

Sept. 8, 2008: A jury found Kashon Scott, 31, of Lehigh Acres guilty of the aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse of Brewington's son, Zahid. Steinbeck sentenced Scott to 60 years in prison six weeks later.

more here

http://www.news-press.com/article/20091108/COLUMNISTS02/911080376/1001/RSS12

Cases like this are so unimaginably sad and heartbreaking.

All these little children really want is for someone to love and care about them.

Yet so many of these mothers either participate in the horrific abuses or allows it to go on until the child has died such a painful death by the hands of a boyfriend or husband.

I just don't understand how anyone can just sit there while their child is being beaten and do nothing right then and there. The moment he struck this child the first time the mother should have taken her baby away from there and called 911.

imo

This is so horrible! That poor little boy. How can people be so ignorant and mean?

Neuter and spay these monsters!!! They shouldn't be allowed to have any more children. :furious:

He went looking for comfort......oh god how that breaks my heart.