Dad who zip-tied 10-year-old son, forced him to eat dog food and trash pleads guilty to murder
06/18/2026 3:00 pm PDT
BANGOR, Maine (TCN) -- A 35-year-old man unexpectedly pleaded guilty to murder in connection with the death of his 10-year-old son two days after pleading not guilty by reason of insanity.
According to court documents obtained by WMTW, Braxytn Smith was brought to the hospital on Feb. 18, 2024, by his mother, 37-year-old Jem Bean, and his grandmother, 59-year-old Mistie Latourette. They said he had vomited and wasn’t feeling well.
When he arrived, he did not have a pulse and was pronounced dead that same night. Medical staff noted he was 48 pounds and his vomit appeared to contain pet food. He had bruising throughout his body and was bleeding between the skull and brain. His death was later ruled a homicide, and his mother, grandmother, and father were charged in connection with the death.
Bean told investigators that she and Joshua Smith, the child’s father, zip-tied him to chairs to keep him from getting into trouble because he had tantrums, but she denied abuse. Zip ties were found in the home in the course of the investigation, per WMTW. Witnesses told investigators that Braxtyn ate from the trash and was fed dog food. MSN reports Bean and Latourette homeschooled the boy and he had to sleep in a bathroom with his hands and ankles bound.
According to the medical examiner, Braxtyn Smith had experienced malnourishment- and stress-related hair loss and had pressure ulcers on his back, and his condition was consistent with battered child syndrome, MSN reports.
On June 9, Joshua Smith appeared before a judge and asked to change his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity, WABI reports. Two days later, he returned to court and pleaded guilty to killing Braxtyn Smith.
According to his attorney Don Brown, “We’ve had extensive discussions about all of Mr. Smith’s options for a long period of time, including jury trial, jury waived trial, what a plea of guilty would be, what an agreed plea of guilty based on any offer that might be made by the state, what a guilty plea of not guilty by reason of insanity would encompass, and how any and all of those things would affect court’s decision or jury’s decision, and ultimately how those things will affect any sentencing that might occur,” WABI reports.
Smith’s co-defendants were also charged with murder. Bean previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and the trial for Latourette was scheduled to begin the week of June 15, per WABI.
Smith is scheduled to be sentenced in September, per WABI.
MORE:
Affidavit sheds light into death of 10-year-old Braxytn Smith (video) —Fox ABC Maine
Houston woman allegedly zip-tied girl, taped her mouth, and locked her in cage next to Christmas tree — True Crime News
