Mugshots of Delicia Daniel, 31, and Kyle Christopher, 24. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
The V.I. Dept. of Justice announced Tuesday that Delicia Daniel, who was facing multiple criminal charges in the 2019 death of her son, 4-year-old Aaron Benjamin Jr., has pleaded guilty to child abuse. A plea hearing was held on Friday, October 22 in the Superior Court on St. Croix.
The V.I. D.O.J. said Ms. Daniel, 31, on Oct. 4 signed a written plea agreement which was also signed by her legal counsel and a V.I. D.O.J. prosecutor. The justice department agreed to dismiss the remaining charges against Ms. Daniel at plea hearing, according to the release. Sentencing is scheduled for January 21, 2022.
During her 2019 arraignment hearing, Ms. Daniel and her co-defendant Kyle Christopher, Ms. Daniel’s boyfriend, entered pleas of not guilty to all charges filed in the death of her son, according to the D.O.J.
Aaron Benjamin, Jr. was found dead in his mother's Lorraine Village housing community apartment on Friday, Oct. 11, 2019.
Ms. Daniel and Mr. Christopher — the latter who admitted to beating the child causing him to fall and hit his head against a chair — were charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault and battery, aggravated child abuse and neglect, and third-degree assault in Oct. 2019.
Black and blue eye, bite marks, more abuse
According to the affidavit, the deceased child, who was examined by Dr. Leslie Burton at the Juan F. Luis Hospital, was dead on arrival. He also had a black and blue left eye, bite marks and fresh and old abrasions.
Officers said the girl child told police that "Daddy Kyle beats her and her brother with a black stick."
Father speaks out
Aaron Benjamin, Sr. told police that a court order prevented him from having his children, and that the mother had kept them away from him for several months. He told police that both his children had told him they were being beaten by Mr. Christopher, and that since April 2019, he noticed his daughter had a black eye. The children had also expressed to their father that they did not want to go back to their mother's Lorraine Village apartment.
Young Aaron Benjamin, Jr. dies
Mr. Christoper told police that on Oct. 10 at about 7:00 a.m., he slapped Aaron in the face for stealing his sister's Caprisun drink. The boy stumbled and fell, hitting his head against a chair. Thereafter, Aaron started to vomit, according to Mr. Christopher, who also told police that the boy continued vomiting and stumbling throughout the day.
The following day, Oct. 11, Aaron's condition hadn't improved. Mr. Christopher told police that at about noon that day, Aaron asked to use the bathroom but couldn't stand on his own, so he had to be assisted. The boy then stopped breathing, Mr. Christopher told detectives, according to the affidavit.
Initially, Ms. Daniel told detectives that Mr. Christopher did not strike the children and that she was the only one to do so. Ms. Daniel later changed her statement to concede that Mr. Christopher did hit the children, although she said it wasn't in her presence.
Backstory
V.I.P.D. public information officer at the time, Glen Dratte, told the Consortium on Friday, Oct. 11, 2019, that the 911 emergency call center had received notification of the incident at about 12:59 p.m. Officers and EMS personnel were immediately dispatched to the scene, and upon arrival, emergency personnel administered CPR on the boy to no avail.
In the initial V.I.P.D. release, police said the boy was found badly abused and was malnourished. Additionally, the V.I.P.D.’s preliminary investigation with medical personnel into the incident found that the boy had varying stages of lacerations, which suggested he was badly beaten.
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