Dad ‘crushed’ after learning the newborn twins were not his. So he beats one to death, and locks them in closet because they were apparently ‘stinking’

A 40-year-old man in Washington, D.C., is facing serious legal consequences following the death of a 2-month-old infant. Demetrius Beatty has been charged with first-degree felony murder and first-degree cruelty to children after the death of Khamyah Honesty, who suffered multiple blunt-force injuries.

According to Law & Crime, Beatty was left feeling “crushed” after learning the mother of the twins had conceived them with another man who is currently incarcerated. While Beatty and the mother lived together and shared other children, they were not in a romantic relationship at the time of the incident. Prosecutors allege Beatty’s jealousy and anger over the biological father’s status fueled a series of threats against the infants.

Then on August 16, things went terribly wrong. WUSA reported that police responded to an apartment in the 800 block of New Jersey Avenue, Southeast, around 9:47 PM. They discovered Beatty holding the unresponsive infant in the building lobby. Khamyah was transported to Children’s National Hospital, where she passed away the following day.

An attempt to shift the blame

According to the outlet, In a 911 call placed that night, Beatty attempted to shift the blame onto his 6-year-old son, who is autistic and nonverbal. During the call, Beatty stated, “I have an autistic son, and I have a 2-month-old daughter. I guess my autistic son got to the 2-month-year-old daughter [sic] and was fighting her, and he damaged her pretty good.” He added, “Her face is swollen, her nose is bleeding. I need help quick.”

Despite his report, forensic evidence eventually contradicted his narrative. A forensic pathologist determined that the severity of the fractures to the child’s forehead, the back of her head, and beneath her chin could not have been caused by a 6-year-old child. WTOP noted that a medical examiner ruled the death a homicide on August 18, citing multiple blunt force injuries to the head. The infant also reportedly had a flattened nasal bridge and blood in her eyes.

The investigation has revealed a pattern of concerning behavior leading up to the tragedy. WUSA wrote that, according to court documents, Beatty had previously threatened to harm the twins if they were left with him,  just eight days before the infant died. 

He reportedly stating, “If you leave them b–ches here, them b–ches are going to be dead.”. When the mother returned from the grocery store to find her daughter unresponsive, she reportedly told Beatty, “Mighty funny that you made that comment and I come back from the grocery store and my daughter dead.”

Further reports indicate that the children had been subjected to mistreatment previously. Per WUSA, the mother told authorities that Beatty had locked the twins in a closet on a prior occasion. When questioned about this, Beatty allegedly said, “Them b—es were stinking.” 

Additionally, sixteen days before her death, Khamyah reportedly fell about 75 feet down a Metro escalator after falling from her car seat while in Beatty’s care. Nurses who treated the baby at the time disputed Beatty’s claim that it was an accidental drop.

Law & Crime reported that in court, Beatty’s defense attorney argued against the charges by highlighting that the 6-year-old child was the one responsible for the attack. “Someone who attacks and kills an infant child does not immediately call 9-1-1,” the defense attorney noted during the proceedings. Despite this, the judge ordered Beatty to be held without bond. 

Per the outlet, prosecutors noted that Beatty’s explanation kept changing as he spoke to people about the incident. For instance, he told the twins’ mother that he stepped out into the hallway to answer a call and returned to find her injured. Later, he claimed the six-year-old “tossed” Khamyah across the floor.

Per WUSA, investigators from the Metropolitan Police Department described the apartment as ”filthy and cluttered.” In their report, they noted that there were stains on the walls and dirty floors. During the investigation, authorities found other children in the home with various injuries, including a healing burn on the back of a 1-year-old and a severe diaper rash on the surviving twin. 

All four surviving children have since been removed from the home by the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency. As for Beatty, he is scheduled to appear back in court on September 28 at 9:30 AM.