LOWER MANHATTAN — The boyfriend of Zymere Perkins’ mother was indicted Tuesday on charges that he murdered the boy, the Manhattan District Attorney said.
Rysheim Smith, 42, was charged with murder and manslaughter, prosecutors said.
Zymere experienced months of brutal abuse at the hands of Smith, who hit the boy with broomsticks and other objects, threw him against the wall, punched him in the ribs and stomach and left him alone for hours without medical attention, prosecutors said.
Smith had been initially charged with endangering the welfare of a child, but the DA revealed last month it would push for homicide charges.
An autopsy revealed that Zymere had multiple bruises on his torso, bruises and finger marks on his neck, several fractured ribs that had healed and other injuries, including a contusion to his head, according to the city's Medical Examiner.
The ME later ruled his death a homicide, citing the cause of death as “acute and chronic abuse and neglect.”
Prosecutors said Smith violently beat Zymere on Sept. 26, the day he died.
Zymere had defecated in the living room of the apartment, which made Smith so angry that he began hitting the boy with his hands and a wooden broomstick, prosecutors said.
Zymere’s mother Geraldine Perkins, 26, told authorities she saw Zymere “go limp,” but Smith continued to hit the 6-year-old.
Smith then carried Zymere to the bathroom where he hung him on the back of the door by his shirt before leaving the apartment, Perkins told prosecutors.
Perkins told authorities she took Zymere down from the door, placed the unconscious child on the bed and went to rest and read the Bible. When she went to check on the child later in the afternoon and tried to wake him, Perkins said Zymere wouldn't wake up.
Perkins dressed Zymere and carried him to the street where she hailed a taxi and took him to St. Luke’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. She and her boyfriend have been held on Rikers since.
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Officials have said that the city's Administration for Children's Services had investigated Perkins five times for abuse and had substantiated allegations of abuse, but allowed her to keep Zymere.
“The death of any child is tragic, but I am particularly struck today by the loss of two 6-year-old boys, 37 years apart,” said DA Cyrus Vance, who also saw a conviction in the murder case of 6-year-old Etan Patz Tuesday.
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“The horrific abuse Zymere Perkins endured during the final months of his short life cuts deep and, as New Yorkers, shocks our conscience. This indictment marks the beginning of our pursuit of justice in the name of young Zymere.”
Prosecutors also tacked on charges of endangering the welfare of a child for an unrelated event from August 2015, where Smith allegedly caused an incident that left a 1-year-old unattended.
Smith’s lawyer could not be reached for comment.
