“He was beaten like an adult.” That’s how the grandmother of 1-year-old Kybrel described what allegedly happened to him before he was rushed to the hospital with a serious brain injury, according to a Pittsburgh news outlet, WPXI.
On November 23, Kybrel was found unresponsive in his mother’s Pittsburgh apartment... Continue reading here ▶
He had been left in the care of her boyfriend, Lyndon Henderson, while she went to work, as per a criminal report obtained by local outlet WTAE.
When Kybrel’s mother came home to check on him, she found him unconscious on the couch. The little boy had suffered a traumatic brain injury, bruises, a stroke, and broken neck bones.
He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors placed him on a ventilator due to swelling in his brain and lack of oxygen. He is now in a medically induced coma and relies on a feeding tube, according to WPXI.
Initially, Henderson was arrested and charged with assault. However, after further investigation, those charges were upgraded to attempted homicide, said Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh.
“My office will always fight for justice for victims,” Walsh said. “Children are innocent and vulnerable, and we will prosecute crimes against them to the fullest extent of the law.”
At the time of his arrest, Henderson told authorities that Kybrel fell off the couch after he had spun him in circles and placed him there. He claimed the child was fine afterward and even smiled.
However, Kybrel’s doctor stated that the injuries were “100% the result of child abuse,” as reported in the official complaint.
Carla Darrell, Kybrel’s paternal grandmother, spoke to WPXI after visiting her grandson in the hospital. “It wasn’t good,” she said.
“He was hooked up to so many machines. He was beaten like a man. A man beat my grandson.”
She added, “Kybrel didn’t do anything wrong. There’s no way he could’ve done something to cause this to happen.” Darrell also mentioned that if she had known Kybrel needed a babysitter, she or the boy’s father would have gladly watched him. “There was no need for anyone else to care for him. We would’ve been there,” she said.
Henderson is now in Washington County Jail without bail, awaiting a court hearing later this month. Darrell believes he should remain in jail, saying, “I don’t think he should be free. He deserves to be exactly where he is.”
