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Stepdad Admitted to Mom That He Beat Her 3-Year-Old Girl to Death, DA Says

By Trevor Kapp | October 22, 2014 3:17pm | Updated on October 22, 2014 7:33pm
 Jeida Torres, inset, was killed by her mom's husband, Kelsey Smith, in their Bushwick home, police said.
Jeida Torres, inset, was killed by her mom's husband, Kelsey Smith, in their Bushwick home, police said.
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Composite with DNAinfo/Trevor Kapp and Facebook/kim.torres22

BUSHWICK — The man accused of beating his 3-year-old stepdaughter to death in a Brooklyn homeless shelter called the girl's mother shortly afteward, telling her he had "f---ed up" and the girl was not breathing, prosecutors said.

Kelsey Smith, 28, was arraigned from Bellevue Hospital Wednesday afternoon on charges that he killed Jeida Torres and beat 5-year-old Andrew Torres after the girl had soiled herself.

He was held without bail in the hospital recovering from a suicide attempt after the attack on the children.

Jeida's mother Kimberly Torres went to work Saturday, leaving the girl sleeping in Smith's care on Saturday at the 38 Cooper St. shelter when she awoke about 4 p.m. having soiled herself, police said.

Smith flew into a rage and began pummeling her, according to the NYPD. Police said he beat Andrew when he tried to intervene.

Smith called Torres at work and confessed to beating the children, telling her that the child wasn't breathing, according to the complaint.

“We intend to seek justice on behalf of these two beautiful, innocent children,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson.

Meanwhile, the children's father Pedro Torres, speaking outside Wycoff Hospital Wednesday where Andrew was recovering, said he warned the mother about Smith's criminal past.

“I said, ‘I don’t want my kids around someone getting arrested,’" Torres, 28, recalled. “She always told me, ‘Yeah, he got arrested. But he’s not a bad guy. He’s not bad towards the kids.’"

Torres said he had tried to visit his kids hours before the attack, but was turned away.

“I was like, ‘Listen, I want to see them today. I’m tired of waiting,’” Torres said he told the kids' mother.

Kimberly Torres told him that "she’s not able to go get them and she knows me and her boyfriend always get into fights, not physical, but we’re always arguing, and he takes it out on her, so she tries to avoid that.

“I have a lot of anger toward the whole situation. I actually have hate toward him for taking my daughter away from me," he added. "I felt almost helpless in the whole situation.”

Smith is next due in court Friday.

Meanwhile, Torres said his son still doesn’t know what happened to his sister.

“He’s happy,” he said. “I have friends of mine who are giving him gifts, clothes, so that he’s comfortable. He’s watching cartoons. He’s got a portable DVD player and headset.

“But I know sooner or later it’s going to run out. I have to be prepared to sit him down and let him know what’s going on.”