Authorities: Man beats toddler to death
TAMPA (AP) – Hillsborough County authorities say a 21-year-old man beat a 2-year-old girl to death after the toddler wouldn’t go to sleep and wouldn’t stop crying.
Kenneth Lopez is being held without bond for aggravated child abuse, though authorities say the charge could be upgraded. Lopez was arrested Sunday afternoon after authorities say he wrapped a towel around the girl’s arms and torso and wrapped her in a blanket. They say he then struck her repeatedly.
Authorities say the girl, Gabrielle Randel, was the daughter of Lopez’s girlfriend. She died at a hospital on Sunday.