JaQuinn Brewton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A 911 call was made claiming that JaQuinn Brewton had fallen out of a window. Paramedics rushed to the scene only to find that the call had been false and the Godmother of the child was now saying that he had fallen down the stairs. Paramedics, who found Jaquinn lying lifeless on a trash-strewn floor clad in only a diaper.

 

Nadera Batson, Godmother to JaQuinn and her boyfriend, Marcus King time had been given the task of taking care of JaQuinn when his mother, who has six children, ended up in a homeless shelter and turned him over to them in March of 2011.  JaQuinn was mentally challenged and his life was about to change for the worse. JaQuinn was subjected to abuse from the couple over the next three months of his life. JaQuinn was kicked, punched and hit with different objects and was burned on his legs, feet and bottom with a blowtorch. This all took place within months before the 911 call came. JaQuinn was in a coma and would never wake up again, dying two weeks later.

 

Jaquinn's mother told a social worker from the Department of Human Services in March 2011 that she had lost track of the boy after he went to live with Batson. She knew the block where Batson lived but not a specific address.

The agency failed to take any steps to find the child and neglected to file a missing-person report, according to the city review.

The review criticized DHS for not consulting with its law department to take possible court action to find Jaquinn. It also said the agency violated policy by missing several monthly visits with Jaquinn, and faulted DHS for failing to complete two previous abuse investigations involving his family within the required 60-day time frame. The agency's failure to file a missing-person report proved critical after a West Philadelphia police officer questioned Batson on the street about Jaquinn's appearance just three days before his death.

 

Batson and her boyfriend had abused JaQuinn by repeatedly beating and burning him until he fell in to a coma and died. Batson beat Jaquinn daily with her hands, shoes, belts, and a metal hair pick that she dragged across his skin. She poured boiling liquid on his feet, causing second-degree burns and so much swelling that he could not walk or wear shoes. She also burned the child's bottom with a cooking blowtorch as punishment for potty training. Autopsy photos showed a sea of scars, burns, and bruises across the child's 32-pound body.A Medical Examiner stated that JaQuinn's injuries were not something that could have happened by falling down the stairs. Marcus King and Nadera Batson  were arrested and charged with the murder. Batson rejected a plea deal that included a prison sentence of 30 to 60 years.  King pleaded guilty to third-degree murder but has yet to be sentenced.