Logo

A Manhattan grand jury has indicted a Harlem man for the broomstick-beating death of his girlfriend’s 6-year-old son, court papers show.

The exact charges against Rysheim Smith, 42, haven’t been released.

A malnourished Zymere Perkins died last Sept. 26 in the care of his mother, Geraldine Perkins, 26, and Smith. The child’s mom was previously indicted on one count of manslaughter for her son’s death, court records show.

The boy was found with finger marks around his neck, broken ribs and other injuries all over his body, the criminal complaint states.

Zymere PerkinsFacebookZymere PerkinsFacebook

Zymere died of child-abuse syndrome, according to the city Medical Examiner’s Office.

The agency investigated five separate abuse complaints since 2010, three of which came directly from Zymere, but ACS failed to protect the tot, according to a report from the state’s child welfare agency.

Smith is due in Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday.

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy