Aug. 24, 2017 -- Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced today that Kenya Reed (DOB 02/06/95) of 44 Maple Avenue, Apartment 2-B, Yonkers, NY pled guilty before Judge Barry Warhit to:

  • two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a class “A” Misdemeanor in connection with an investigation into the death of her toddler son Alex Robinson (DOB 02/01/14) and the living environment that was discovered in their home on December 24, 2016.

On Dec. 24, 2016 at approximately 8:14 p.m., Reed’s co-defendant, Blair Robinson, the victim’s father, walked into the emergency room at St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers carrying his 2 year old son and reported to the staff that the child was not breathing. Hospital personnel observed that the child was lifeless and had no pulse. Hospital personnel were never able to revive the child and he was pronounced dead at approximately 9:25 p.m.

Although it was not readily apparent what caused the child’s death, hospital personnel did observe bruises on his back and notified the Yonkers Police Department. When police went to the victim’s home following the child’s death, they located his mother, Kenya Reed and they also discovered the deceased victim’s 10 month old sister in a bedroom where she lay in a cold room on a mattress with no sheets, a bottle of curdled milk beside her. The child was dirty and suffering from a terrible diaper rash. The apartment was filthy and unsanitary and rodent droppings were all over kitchen surfaces. Bugs flew around inside the refrigerator. The infant female was sent to Westchester Medical Center for follow-up care. Both parents were interviewed and the investigation continued pending the results of an autopsy. At that time, Robinson minimized his conduct and stated he only hit the child one time on his buttocks.

When the autopsy was conducted by the Westchester County Medical Examiner’s Office, it was determined that Alex died as a result of blunt force trauma to his head and his torso and that he had hemorrhages in his brain and internal organs. Approximately nine marks on his back appeared to have been pattern injuries caused by some kind of instrument that was used repeatedly to strike him.

Reed told Yonkers Police that she witnessed Robinson beat their son until he was unconscious and detectives learned Reed did nothing for the child such as stop the attack, call 911, call an ambulance or seek any medical attention.

When the police located Blair Robinson again on Dec. 27, 2016, he admitted to police that he had kicked, whipped and beaten the child in his head and torso earlier in the afternoon of Dec. 24, 2016. Following the beating he had inflicted, he had taken a nap and then gone to work for approximately 90 minutes, before finally returning to his house at 44 Maple Avenue where he retrieved his son and brought him to the emergency room. Robinson was arrested following that interview and charged with his son’s homicide.

Reed was indicted by the Grand Jury for two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and surrendered following the issuance of an arrest warrant that had been issued as a result of the action of the Grand Jury.

Robinson pleaded guilty today to Manslaughter in the First Degree. He faces twenty-five years in state prison. He will be sentenced on Dec. 20, 2017.

Reed faces a maximum possible sentence of one year on each of the misdemeanor charges of child endangerment.

She will be sentenced on Sep. 28, 2017.

This case is being prosecuted by Second Deputy District Attorney Fredric Green, Chief of the Special Prosecutions Division and Special Prosecutions Division Assistant District Attorney Joyce Miller.

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