Trial of woman charged with fatally beating her 3-year-old son begins

 

A 28 year old woman faces multiple counts of first-degree murder and cruelty to children in the 2014 fatal beating. At the time, Lyles, her three children and her boyfriend lived in a Southeast Washington apartment.

Lyles has continued to assert that she did not hurt his 3 year old son Xavier and that he was injured while in the care of her boyfriend. 

In a court filing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Wright wrote that on June 23, a day before Xavier was killed, neighbors saw the boy playing with his two cousins and sister. At around 5 p.m., prosecutors say Xavier went into the apartment to take a nap. A few hours later, neighbors told prosecutors they heard Xavier inside playing. 

Then at around 8:30 p.m., prosecutors say Lyles became angry with Xavier when he ran into the infant’s bouncy seat. Wright argues Lyles used so much force that Xavier’s liver was lacerated in three places and his kidney was damaged. Neighbors told prosecutors they only heard the voices of Lyles and her son, and never an adult male’s voice, at the time, according to court documents. 

The next day, on June 24, Lyles went into her son’s room where she discovered he was not moving or breathing. Prosecutors say instead of calling 911 for help, Lyles first called her cousin.

Xavier was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

During the early part of the case, prosecutors had offered Lyles a plea deal but she rejected the offer. 

She has been jailed since her arrest.