Mom, boyfriend accused of beating 4-year-old boy to death over spilled cereal

PHILADELPHIA — A pregnant Pennsylvania mother and her boyfriend are facing murder charges in the death of the woman's 4-year-old son.

According to The Associated Press and KYW-TV, Lisa Smith, 19, and Keiff King, 26, of Willow Grove, were charged with first-degree murder after authorities said the pair repeatedly struck Smith's son, Tahjir, with their hands and a sandal on Jan. 22 because he had spilled cereal. The boy also was burned after King allegedly forced him to get into an extremely hot shower, WPVI reported.

The charges came last week after officials received autopsy results.

"The forensic pathologist's determination that Tahjir's death was homicide shows what detectives found in our investigation – that this was a violent, sustained beating of a 4-year-old that caused his death," Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said Friday, according to WPVI.

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Officials also said the boy had been living in "deplorable" conditions among roaches and other insects, KYW reported.

Smith and King "are not eligible for bail," the AP reported.

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