Ex-Con Charged With Murder After Allegedly Beating His Girlfriend’s 3-Year-Old Daughter To Death

On Tuesday, 32-year-old Mark Jenkins was arrested and charged with the murder of his girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter.

According to the New York Times, the incident occurred Monday afternoon between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. after a surveillance camera caught Jenkins leaving the family home with 3-year-old Bella Edwards and his 3-month old son. When they returned two hours later, the little girl “appeared to be in some kind of distress,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said.

“We believe [the attack] happened sometime in that car,” he continued. “She was struck about the abdomen. Further testing needs to be done, but we believe she bled to death.”

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By the time Bella’s mother returned home, Bella was found unconscious. The little girl was then rushed to a local hospital, where she died.

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According to New York Daily News, Jenkins had a long rap sheet prior to Tuesday’s arrest, including four previous arrests and a five-year stint in prison for attempted murder. In addition, police were called to the couple’s home twice before Bella’s murder to settle disputes, but there was no evidence that Jenkins had been violent since his release from prison.

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But now, in the wake of the murder, a judge has ordered Jenkins to be held without bail on charges of second-degree depraved murder and first-degree depraved assault. If convicted, Jenkins faces up to 25 years to life.