Man accused of punching 1-year-old child to death indicted on murder charge

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray News) - A man accused of punching a 1-year-old to death has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge.

According to court records, Deric Young was also indicted on a charge of aggravated child abuse by great bodily harm.

Young appeared in court on Monday, where a judge ordered him to be held without bond. The same week of the child’s death, he refused to make his first court appearance twice.

Young confessed to police last month to punching 1-year-old Ky’meria German while “playing.”

The 25-year-old was arrested just 24 hours after Tallahassee police responded to a report of a 1-year-old child not breathing. Responding officers arrived at the home and attempted to save the young girl’s life; however, Ky’meria was pronounced dead at a hospital.

As law enforcement continued to investigate Ky’meria’s death, police said they “quickly uncovered signs of foul play.”

Young’s arrest affidavit revealed disturbing details from the investigation leading up to Ky’meria’s death. Those details included how Young broke down in tears just moments before admitting to investigators he repeatedly punched the child.

Before the young girl’s death, she had been left in his care after her original babysitter, her mother’s cousin, went to work.

A day after Ky’meria died, an autopsy was conducted, revealing alarming details about her injuries. Specifically, the autopsy revealed she “had suffered severe injuries, including multiple strikes to the head with a closed fist that ultimately caused the child’s death,” according to police.

When detectives learned about the autopsy results, Young was interviewed for a second time. He initially denied harming Ky’meria, but later confessed to striking her, according to arrest documents.

Before the alleged abuse happened, court documents indicated that Young suspect smoked cannabis just minutes before, which he said caused him to want “to play” with the young girl.

Ky’meria is survived by an older brother as well as a twin brother, who court records revealed was in the room at the time of the alleged abuse, but was unharmed.