A 5-year-old named Jada Moore was killed after being whipped to death by her grandparents, Klent Elwoods and Lisa Jones, in Chicago.
On Monday, July 17, Illinois prosecutors revealed details related to the killing that took place on Friday, July 14. The prosecutors told the court that Moore had been subjected to beatings for more than two months.
Moore’s fatal beating was done after she defecated on herself, according to reports.
Elwoods, 62, and Jones, 57, have been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in their granddaughter’s death. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death as a homicide caused by multiple injuries due to child abuse.
They were both denied bond during the July 17 hearing, while they are due back in court August 2.
Police and paramedics were dispatched to the Couple’s home around 11 p.m. on July 14 after Elwoods called 911 to report that there was an “unresponsive” child on the property. “I was beating my little granddaughter and now she is out of it,” he told authorities, according to reports.
Officers found Moore completely nude and lying on the couch upon their arrival. EMTs performed CPR on her, and she was eventually airlifted to Comer Children’s Hospital. Moore died from her injuries early on Saturday, July 15.
“I was a little too rough with my grandbaby,” Elwoods allegedly said while riding in the back of the police car.
While being questioned by police, Jones allegedly explained Moore “had a history of ‘pooping’ on herself.” She recalled that the last time her granddaughter had an accident, Elwoods warned her that he would whip her with a belt the next time it happened.
After Moore defecated on herself on July 14, “Elwoods then reminded [Moore] what he would do if she defecated on herself again,” according to the police report obtained by the New York Post. “Elwoods then grabbed a belt and had [Moore] bend over. Elwoods then proceeded to strike [Moore] on her buttocks between 10 and 12 times.”
While authorities were searching the suspects’ home, they found a pair of soiled children’s underwear, a belt, a notarized letter from Moore’s mom giving the grandparents custody for school and medical decisions. Additionally, a calendar marked four dates in June that Moore allegedly defecated on herself.
Prosecutors said in court that both Elwoods and Jones allegedly admitted to beating Moore on a regular basis using a belt, their hands and a shoe.
Meanwhile, an autopsy found Moore was covered in “bruises, abrasions and scars in various stages of healing.” Moore also had internal avulsion pockets on her back, buttocks and legs, while there was bleeding in the space between her brain and skull.
“Avulsion pockets are commonly seen in car accident injuries due to the force required to cause such an injury,” the prosecutors said in court. “The avulsion pockets are indicative of the victim losing blood into the soft tissue and are more dangerous in children due to their overall lower volume of blood.”
Moore began living with her grandparents in April, while the beatings began that same month.