Charges have been upgraded for the stepfather of a 2-year-old girl accused of shaking her to death.
David Adams is now facing murder charges after first responders found Thaiya Spruill barely conscious, with bruises to her arms and apparent head trauma at the Tilden Houses in Brownsville on Nov. 13 of last year.
Emergency officials had been called to the scene for a child having difficulty breathing. The toddler was rushed to Brookdale Hospital where she was listed in grave condition with severe head trauma, but was eventually declared brain dead and removed from life support.
Two days later, Adams was arrested and charged with felony assault, reckless assault of a child and endangering the welfare of a child. According to a criminal complaint, the 25-year-old lifted the little girl up in the air and shook her several times before her body went limp.
The upgraded charges come after Spruill's death was classified as a homicide.