Follow the Story
Man who beat little Zymere Perkins to death gets 25 years to life in prison
Harlem man found guilty of beating 6-year-old Zymere Perkins to death
Jury begins deliberations in Zymere Perkins murder trial
Mom and boyfriend ‘equally responsible’ for Zymere Perkins’ murder: prosecutors
Video shows Zymere Perkins at welfare agency before his murder
Zymere Perkins’ sickening death exposes NYC’s unforgivable child welfare failures
A grand jury is weighing a murder indictment against the boyfriend of Zymere Perkins’ mom in the broomstick-beating death of the Harlem 6-year-old, prosecutors said Tuesday in Manhattan Criminal Court.
“The People are currently presenting homicide charges before a grand jury,” Assistant DA Katie Coulson said at a brief hearing for defendant Rysheim Smith.
A malnourished Zymere died last Sept. 26 in the care of his mother, Geraldine Perkins, 26, and Smith, 42.
The boy had finger marks around his neck, broken ribs and other injuries all over his body, according to a criminal complaint.
Zymere died of child-abuse syndrome, according to the city’s Medical Examiner’s Office.
Smith and Perkins each face one count of endangering the welfare of a child, but prosecutors indicated from the outset that they intended to upgrade the charges.
