PENNSAUKEN, N.J.—A man accused of fatally beating his girlfriend’s toddler son has been charged with murder.
Camden County prosecutors say Zachary Tricoche will be arraigned Tuesday afternoon. The 24-year-old Pennsauken man was being held without bail and it wasn’t known Monday if he has retained an attorney.
Pennsauken police found the toddler when they responded to a 911 call at a Mansion Boulevard home around 11:30 p.m. Saturday. The child was taken to a hospital but died there early Sunday.
Prosecutors did not provide details on the child’s injuries or said how they may have occurred. They also have not said whether anyone else was in the home when the beating allegedly occurred or who lives in the residence.
Reports say the boy’s name was Jamil Baskerville.
Gerome DeShields, the grandfather of the victim, said he was outraged over the death of his grandchild.
“You’re less of a man to sit there and put your hands on any type of child, no matter what age it is. He was two years old. There should be no reason you should want to hit him,” he told CBS News.
According to CBS, Tricoche told Jamil to put his fists up and fight back.
Tricoche’s bail was set at $1 million cash.
Epoch Times contributed to this report.
