N.Y. mom, teen son charged with allegedly fatally beating, sexually abusing 7-year-old girl

THE BRONX, N.Y. (TCD) -- A mother and her 18-year-old son were formally indicted this week on several charges relating to the death of her 7-year-old daughter.

According to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, 36-year-old Navasia Jones and her son Paul Fine Jr. were charged with two counts of second-degree murder under circumstances evincing a depraved indifference to human life, two counts of second-degree manslaughter, and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child for the death of Julissia Batties. Fine was also charged with first-degree assault and first-degree sexual abuse.

The statement alleges Batties was killed sometime between Aug. 8 and Aug. 10, 2021, in their apartment on Alexander Avenue in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx. Jones reportedly called police at 8:06 a.m. on Aug. 10 after a family member told her to do so. When police arrived, Batties did not have a pulse. She was transported to Lincoln Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Jones and Fine reportedly told investigators Batties fell on different items in their residence and was vomiting and urinating on herself Aug. 10 at 5 a.m. Their statements, however, were "inconsistent with the fatal and nonfatal injuries on Julissia’s body."

The District Attorney’s Office says Fine later admitted to assaulting Batties "all over her body," including punching her, between Aug. 8 and Aug. 10. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy and said she died by homicide caused by blunt force trauma to the abdomen.

According to the statement, the chief medical examiner "concluded she was struck with enough force to cause her internal organs to tear and bleed, filling her abdomen with blood."

Batties also reportedly had bruises on her face, chin, and back of her right ear, as well as other injuries on her thigh, mouth, wrists, and clavicle. Additionally, she suffered injuries consistent with sexual assault.

WPIX-TV reports Fine said he hit his half-sister because she wanted to get a snack from the kitchen. Fine and Jones allegedly said a desk fell on Batties, which caused her to die. Batties' paternal grandparents had been trying to gain custody of the little girl for years, according to WPIX.

In his statement, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said, "This is a revolting, disturbing case of brutality and callousness. A 10-month investigation with the NYPD led to the indictments charging the defendants with Murder. The investigation revealed that Julissia was failed throughout her brief life."

He continued, "The signs of her torment were there but not acted on. We send our condolences to Julissia’s father and grandmother, who remain devastated by the loss of this beautiful, little girl."

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