Coney Island man convicted of murder for beating 16-month-old daughter to death
CONEY ISLAND, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A Brooklyn man was convicted of murder Thursday for beating his 16-month-old daughter to death on Father's Day.
The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office announced that 20-year-old Shaquan Taylor, of Coney Island, faces up to 25 years to life in prison when he is sentenced on November 7.
Officials said Taylor's 16-month-old daughter, Nylah Lewis, was attacked while visiting her father's apartment on June 18, 2017.
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Around 2:30 p.m. that afternoon, Taylor texted the child's mother, 18-year-old Tammy Lewis, and told her Nylah was having trouble breathing. When Lewis arrived at the apartment, she found Nylah on the couch unconscious, with bruising, swelling and lacerations on her face, officials said.
Lewis called 911 and ran out of the apartment with her daughter, but Taylor followed them into the lobby and began beating Lewis in the neck and face while she was holding Nylah. Taylor grabbed his daughter and gave her to a passerby, then continued to beat Lewis.
Taylor was arrested later that day while hiding in the bushes near his apartment.
Nylah was taken to the hospital with a fractured skull and remained in a coma for five days. She died from her injuries on June 23, 2017.
"On a day when the importance of fathers is celebrated, this defendant committed an unforgivable crime against his own child," said District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. "Instead of protecting and nurturing his daughter, the defendant caused the injuries that tragically ended her short life."
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