25-Year-Old Zachary Tricoche of Pennsauken, New Jersey was arrested and charged with murder after he punched a toddler in the chest Saturday night.
Tricoche got into a fight with the child’s mother over groceries she brought home from the store.
2-year-old Jamil Baskerville Jr., who was sitting on the bed began crying over the fight. Tricoche then punched him so hard the boy flew off the bed and hit his head against the wall, prosecutors said.
According to Philly.com the child got back up and Tricoche ordered him to put his fists up like a boxer before knocking him unconscious.
The boy’s mother called 911 and took Jamil to Cooper University Hospital where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later.
Jamil, who weighed less than 30 pounds, suffered an injury to his liver and had signs of bruising on his chest, doctors said.
“Essentially, JB (Jamil) bled to death internally,” said Camden County Assistant Prosecutor Christine Shah.
Tricoche, who has multiple drug-related convictions, looked at the floor for much of the arraignment hearing. Multiple guards stood between Tricoche and Jamil’s relatives at the hearing.
“He should be put to sleep, because he killed my grandson,” Jamil’s grandfather Gerome DeShields told Philly.com.
Tricoche is being held on $1 million bail.
Prosecutor: Pennsauken man told 2yo to put up his fists and fight before punching child to death pic.twitter.com/0HBeICVZrR
— Cleve Bryan CBS3 (@CleveBryan) August 23, 2016