District Man Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison For Murder Of Girlfriend’s Four-Year-Old Son-Defendant Beat Child While Babysitting-

     WASHINGTON – Peter I. Hendy, II, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 20 years in prison on a charge of second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend’s four-year-old son, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Hendy pled guilty in September 2013 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Ronna L. Beck. Upon completion of his prison term, Hendy will be placed on five years of supervised release.

     According to the government’s evidence, on Aug. 5, 2013, Hendy was babysitting his girlfriend’s son, Kamari Zavon Taylor, at an apartment in Northeast Washington while she went to work. Sometime around noon, he called his girlfriend and reported that he had disciplined the boy. He told her that he had given Kamari a “body shot” and that the child’s legs were wobbly.

     According to Hendy’s own admissions, he became upset when Kamari disobeyed his restriction about how far he could ride his scooter. According to Hendy, when he admonished the child, Kamari responded that he did not have to listen to him. Hendy admitted to punching Kamari in the mid-section four to five times, including one direct punch to the stomach.

     Once back inside, according to Hendy, the child fell to the floor and could not stand. When offered food or water, Kamari declined the food but drank the water. Hendy carried the child to bed and then went outside to sell marijuana.

     After an hour, he returned to the apartment. He noted that Kamari had a “blank look” on his face and appeared “spent.” Hendy then went outside again for another hour to sell marijuana. When he returned, Kamari was not breathing. Hendy called 911 at about 2:05 p.m. and reported that his girlfriend’s son was unconscious and not breathing. The 911 operator advised Hendy to give the child cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and he did.

     When they arrived, members of the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department found Kamari to be unconscious and unresponsive. The child was taken to Children’s National Medical Center and pronounced dead.

     The District of Columbia Office of the Medical Examiner determined that Kamari died from multiple injuries to the torso. The forcefulness of the defendant’s punches caused the child’s liver to lacerate in three places. There was also bruising on his stomach, consistent with multiple fist prints. Finally, Kamari had a couple of broken ribs.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the detectives, officers, and others who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation to the D.C. Office of the Medical Examiner for its assistance. Finally, he acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Kelly Blakeney, Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker, Intern Brian Edgerton, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia G. Wright, who prosecuted the case.