LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas police have arrested a mother and stepfather in the beating death of their 7-year-old son.
KLAS-TV reports (http://bit.ly/VsMpxD ) that 27-year-old Dina Palmer and 34-year-old Markiece Palmer are jailed on murder and child abuse charges.
Second-grader Roderick Arrington Jr. recently moved to Las Vegas from Illinois, where he had been living with his father and grandmother.
The Palmers brought Roderick to the hospital with brain swelling last week. Markiece Palmer told police he had spanked the child for lying about reading a Bible verse and failing to finish his homework. He said the boy slipped and hit his head.
The next morning the boy was breathing but not conscious, prompting a trip to the hospital. He died Friday.
The arrest report details extensive injuries, including bruising and open wounds.
©2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
