California man beats 6-year-old godson to death while 'trying to discipline him' a day after Christmas
DOWNEY, CALIFORNIA: A California man was arrested and booked after he was accused of beating his six-year-old godson to death while 'disciplining him'.
Tyler D'Shaun Martin-Brand, 23, came under police scanner little Dayvon Taylor Nicholson was rushed to the St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach on December 26. The child was suffering from serious injuries, according to ABC7.
The injuries were found to be life-threatening and despite the best efforts of doctors, the child was declared dead shortly after his arrival at the hospital. Nicholson's death was ruled a homicide by the coroner's office and Martin-Brand was subsequently arrested and charged with murder.
Police revealed that Martin-Brand was an acquaintance of Nicholson's mother and was the godfather of the six-year-old. He reportedly admitted to the boy's grandfather, David Nicholson Sr, that he had beaten up the child.
"He said 'I was trying to discipline him,'" Nicholson Sr. revealed. "I said, 'You know where you're going now, you're going to jail.' He said, 'I know.'"
Martin-Brand made his first appearance in a Downey Courtroom on December 30 but did not enter a plea. The deceased child's kin spoke out during the hearing, with his great-aunt Virginia Sewell saying it would "never be the same without seeing that joyful face."
The 23-year-old was a supervisor in an after-school program at Normandie Elementary school last summer and was known popularly as 'Coach Tyler' or 'Coach Ty'. Concerns have been raised that he may have hurt other children entrusted to his care as well.
"Knowing that he is a coach at Normandie Elementary, we just want anyone else to step up," said Tanya Davis, the deceased child's cousin. "Maybe he hit a kid before and it just wasn't known. If they can let us know through LAUSD, whether he has a history of violence or maybe he was written up for something," she added. "We don't know but we're just trying to see what led up to this because if you love someone you just don't do this. So if he cared for Dayvon, he just would not have put his hands on him," Davis went on to say.
Martin-Brand's arraignment is scheduled to be continued until January 16. He is being held in jail on a $2 million bond.
A GoFundMe page was set up to collect donations that will go towards the cost of Nicholson's funeral. At the time of writing, the page has raised $1,150 of a possible $5,000 goal.