By David Lohr
October 4, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. (Crime Library) — Authorities in Orange County are investigating the death of an eight-year-old boy who was allegedly killed by his 13-year-old brother Saturday over dessert.
According to police, Demetrius Key told them he beat his brother, Levares, in the head with a piece of metal and then punched, kicked, and choked him because the younger boy ate a dessert he was not allowed to have. At the time of the incident, Demetrius was babysitting his brother and half a dozen other children.
Following the beating, Demetrius went to a relative's house and told his mother, Tangela Key, that his brother had "passed out."
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Lavares Key |
"Demetrius offered that Levares upset him by eating a dessert that [he] was not to have eaten," Detective Appling Wells wrote in the arrest affidavit. "He also advised Levares upset him by picking a scab and causing it to bleed.
"Demetrius said he feared Levares would blame both circumstances on him and tell his mother he had struck him and eaten the dessert."
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Orange County Medical Examiner Dr. Jan Garavaglia |
Levares was later pronounced dead at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Orange County Medical Examiner Dr. Jan Garavaglia ruled the death a homicide from closed head injuries.
"Brothers do fight, but rarely does one of them end up dying," Orange County Sheriff's Sgt. John Allen told Sun-sentinel.com. "This is a very unusual case."
On Saturday night, Demetrius was charged with first-degree murder and was remanded to the Osceola County Juvenile Detention center.
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Osceola County Juvenile Detention center |
Police say they are now considering charges against Demetrius' mother because injuries found on Levares have led them to suspect Saturday's beating may not have been an isolated incident.
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