A Ghanaian couple living in the United States, Valerie Owusu and Emmanuel Addae, has been convicted of second-degree murder for the death of their 5-year-old son, King, who was brutally beaten and left for dead in their Long Island home. The conviction, handed down on March 22, 2024, comes nearly three years after the tragic incident in Brentwood, New York City.

In a press release, District Attorney Raymond Tierney stated, “This little boy was beaten and suffered for days at the hands of these defendants, one of whom was his own mother, until he unfortunately succumbed to his severe and extensive injuries.”

Prosecutors alleged that Owusu and Addae used "at least four different instruments" to beat the child over a three-day period in 2021, leading to his deteriorating condition and eventual loss of consciousness.

Despite the severity of King's injuries, neither Owusu nor Addae sought medical help or called 911. Instead, on April 1, 2021, they took the boy to a family member's house and left him there. Upon returning home, the family member found King dead.

Authorities discovered that King had sustained injuries all over his body from the beatings. Owusu and Addae now face the possibility of life imprisonment and are set to be sentenced on May 1.