San Antonio couple allegedly beat 12-year-old boy to death while disciplining him
02/08/2022 8:42 pm PST
SAN ANTONIO (TCD) -- A 32-year-old man and 27-year-old woman were arrested after allegedly beating a 12-year-old boy to death while disciplining him over the weekend.
According to KSAT-TV, on Sunday, Feb. 6, the San Antonio Police Department responded to Derrick Coles’ and Kapri Cheatom’s apartment in the 700 block of Wurzbach Road shortly after 7:30 p.m. to a report of an injured child.
At the scene, officers reportedly found Coles’ son, later identified as Danilo Coles, unresponsive. According to KSAT, Coles and Cheatom told authorities the child fell in the shower. He was reportedly transported to the hospital and medical staff said they found suspicious injuries not consistent with falling in the shower. This included severe injuries to his buttocks where his skin was hanging off, internal bleeding, and whipping marks. KSAT reports the child was brain dead and pronounced dead that night.
According to an arrest report obtained by WOAI-TV, the victim recently moved in with Coles and Cheatom after his mother lost custody in Chicago for allegedly abusing him.
Cheatom reportedly said the boy was being disrespectful after moving in with her and Coles, and the couple began disciplining the child.
According to WOAI, Cheatom told authorities that Coles woke the victim up at approximately 11 a.m. and ordered him to hold a 50-pound box of water bottles. The boy reportedly could not lift the box and was given lighter boxes to hold and was also forced to do push-ups when he failed to lift those.
According to WOAI, Cheatom said after the boy fell in the shower, there was a cut over his eye, and she bandaged it up before he could eat. The discipline allegedly began again after he ate.
Coles allegedly made the victim do more push-ups, and when he couldn’t do anymore, the victim was reportedly beaten with a belt by Coles. Cheatom also reportedly hit the child multiple times as he was in a fetal position.
According to WOAI, Coles and Cheatom were arrested and charged with injury to a child causing serious bodily injury. They remain held on $150,000 bonds and upgraded charges may be forthcoming.
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