Wake held for 3-year-old boy beaten to death

A 3-year-old boy was remembered Monday as friends and family gathered to attend his wake. Kyle Smith was allegedly beaten to death by his godmother and her boyfriend, who have been caring for him since

News 12 Staff

Jun 16, 2008, 11:40 PM

Updated 6,011 days ago

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A 3-year-old boy was remembered Monday as friends and family gathered to attend his wake.
Kyle Smith was allegedly beaten to death by his godmother and her boyfriend, who have been caring for him since August. Smith died last Friday, and his godmother and her boyfriend were arrested on assault charges Saturday. On Monday, the charges were upgraded to manslaughter.
Family and friends of Smith were angered and saddened by the way the little boy?s life was cut short. ?How do you describe the funeral of a baby?? Donna Cotrel asks. ?You?re sitting rows away and you can see the bruises all over his face.?
?You just feel the hurt, you know?? Kathleen Young asks. ?You just think about what did this boy go through? What was he feeling, what was he thinking??
Smith?s biological parents are torn, but they are trying to stay strong for his 6-year-old brother, who is too young to grasp the loss.
?I just want to grab the people who did this to him, and I just want to hurt them the way they hurt him,? Cotrel says. ?He?s so tiny ? how do you do that to a baby??
Family and friends who attended the wake are glad the charges were upgraded to manslaughter, but they feel that Smith?s godmother and her boyfriend should face murder charges.
The viewing for Smith continues Tuesday at the Peter Nagel Funeral Home on East 87th St. in Manhattan, from 7-9 p.m. Kyle?s funeral will be held on Wednesday at noon at Our Lady Our Good Council Roman Catholic Church on East 90th St. in Manhattan.
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