Grandparents from a Chicago suburb have been charged with murder after they beat to death their 5-year-old granddaughter, who was belted 12 times for urinating on herself. The granddad is reported to have admitted to being "a little too rough" during the fatal assault of his granddaughter.
NBC Chicago reported that Illinois prosecutors gave horrifying details about the killing of 5-year-old Jada Moore on July 14. Prosecutors told the court that the child had been beaten for more than two months and had severe contusions similar to those found in car accident victims. The Department of Children and Family Services said that it had no prior contact with the family.
Fatal Assault
Klent Elwoods, 62, and his wife, Lisa Jones, 57, the grandparents of the victim, have been taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder in the death of 5-year-old Jada. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office has determined the tragic incident as a homicide resulting from multiple injuries inflicted due to child abuse.
The couple from Park Forest is now facing serious legal consequences for their alleged actions leading to the little girl's untimely demise.
The shocking crime came to light when authorities responded to a distress call at the couple's residence on Osage Street after 11 p.m. on a Friday. The call was regarding an "unresponsive" child.
Elwoods was the one who made the 911 call and confessed to the dispatcher, saying, "I was beating my little granddaughter, and now she is out of it," as revealed by prosecutors.
This disturbing admission brought attention to the tragic situation, prompting an investigation into the death of the 5-year-old girl.
Jada was found by the police "lying on the couch completely nude."
EMTs tried to resuscitate the girl through CPR before she was transported by air to Comer Children's Hospital. Sadly, she died early on Saturday.
According to a police report obtained by Law&Crime.com, the grandfather was quoted admitting that he began beating Jada when she had an accident and soiled her underwear.
While he was being transported in the back of a police cruiser, Elwoods reportedly spontaneously said, "I was a little too rough with my grandbaby."
Too Rough for a Child
During the police questioning, Lisa Jones allegedly mentioned that her granddaughter had a history of having accidents and soiling herself. She revealed that the last time the girl had a bathroom accident, Klent Elwoods warned her that he would whip her with a belt if it were to happen again
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It appears that the grandfather followed through on his threat when he discovered on Friday night that the 5-year-old had once again soiled herself. This led to the tragic incident where the child was allegedly beaten, resulting in her untimely death.
"Elwoods then reminded [Jada] what he would do if she defecated on herself again," the report stated.
"Elwoods then grabbed a belt and had [Jada] bend over. Elwoods then proceeded to strike [Jada] on her buttocks between 10 and 12 times."
The grandmother, Lisa Jones, was quoted as saying that with each blow, the child fell on the floor. Unfortunately, the last time she was struck, the 5-year-old did not get back up.
During a search of the suspects' home, authorities found soiled children's underwear, a belt, a notarized letter from Jada's mother granting custody to the grandparents for school and medical decisions, and a calendar with four dates marked in June, allegedly indicating previous incidents when Jada had soiled herself.
Prosecutors presented in court that both grandparents confessed to regularly beating Jada using a belt, their bare hands, and even a shoe.
The medical examination of the 5-year-old victim revealed the presence of internal avulsion, also known as contusion, pockets in her back, buttocks, and legs.
"Avulsion pockets are commonly seen in car accident injuries due to the force required to cause such an injury," prosecutors said.
"The avulsion pockets are indicative of the victim losing blood into the soft tissue and are more dangerous in children due to their overall lower volume of blood."
The examination of Jada's body also revealed bleeding in the space between her brain and skull, indicating the presence of a brain injury.
Jada had been in the care of her grandparents since early April, as they had taken her in, promising to provide her with a better home life after her mother, who resides in Atlanta, faced difficult circumstances.
