The boyfriend of a woman whose one-year-old was found dead this week has been arrested and charged with his murder. On Wednesday, baby Richard Fludd was discovered unresponsive in the living room floor of a third-floor apartment where he lived on East 232nd Street. Reginald Smith, 24, now faces charges of murder and assault after the Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be homicide.
An autopsy showed the baby died of blunt-force trauma that caused internal damage; he had rib fractures, internal injuries and lacerations. Police say the boy also had a cast on his leg from a broken leg, bruises on his face, and cigarette burns on his arms from previous injuries.
Smith had told investigators he and Richard were asleep on the couch when the baby rolled off and hit his head—police say they have enough to charge him with murder though. The mother wasn't home at the time of the incident. Sources told NBC that the boyfriend has a history of domestic violence against an unrelated woman who was the mother of his child; an order of protection was also allegedly filed against him by the child's mother. Neighbors told CBS that they had often heard fighting inside the apartment.
