JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 21-year-old man charged with aggravated child abuse in the death of his girlfriend's 2-year-old daughter last April pleaded guilty Monday, the same day his trial was scheduled to begin.
Jamarius Devonti Graham, 21, was charged in the death of Aaliyah Lewis in an incident at the couple's Northwest Jacksonville home.
He has a sentencing hearing April 17 and faces six to 30 years in prison.
Family told News4Jax that Graham, who had been babysitting Aaliyah, dropped off the girl and her mother at Fire Station No. 2 on North Main Street in Springfield, and Aaliyah wasn't breathing. Rescuers did everything they could, but they couldn't save her, they said.
The girl was taken to UF Health Jacksonville, where she died. JSO homicide detectives responded to UF Health that evening.
The official cause of death from the medical examiner's office came back as unknown, but according to the arrest warrant, Graham told his girlfriend, Donisha Barlow, that he hit Aaliyah with a belt because she’d soiled his bed. Doctors at the hospital found “severe” bruises and lacerations on the toddler.
Aaliyah's parents and grandparents asked News4Jax not to go into too much detail about how the toddler was killed.
“It's very tough, very tough to listen to details,” said Andre Lewis Sr., Aaliyah's paternal grandfather. “He had no business putting his hands on my granddaughter anyway. Regardless of what he said or what he felt or what she did, he had no business putting his hands on her.”
Lewis said he wanted Graham to be convicted of murder. Because Aaliyah's cause of death could not be determined, murder charges were never filed. According to records from the Department of Children and Families, the toddler might have gone into shock from the extensive injuries.
“In the courtroom today, he did not show any type of remorse,” Lewis said. “(I) put it in God’s hands for the judge to make the right decision (on his sentence) and look at the situation and make a good decision for the family.”
Aaliyah was normally watched by a grandfather, but Barlow moved in with Graham two weeks before Aaliyah's death.
According to DCF records, Barlow initially lied to investigators about who Aaliyah had been with when she was injured.
DCF said that when Graham picked up Barlow from work, she saw the marks on Aaliyah’s chest, but they delayed seeking medical treatment because "she was afraid Aaliyah would be taken from her."
Aaliyah became unresponsive in the car and stopped breathing, so they went to the fire station for help, DCF said.
According to DCF officials, had the couple sought medical attention earlier, Aaliyah might have been resuscitated.
“It appears the mother and boyfriend waited until Aaliyah was dead to seek help," DCF said.
Lewis said he misses his granddaughter's smile and her dancing.
“She was very inquisitive. She wanted to learn,” he said.
He said nothing will be enough to make him happy again, and he hopes others can learn a lesson from his family’s tragedy.
“You've got to be cautious, know who all are around your kids and especially be always leery of them,” Lewis said. “These are our gems. We have to protect them. They expect us to protect them.”
Graham was arrested in 2015 for possession of cocaine and marijuana, but the charges were dropped.
A woman, not Aaliyah's mother, obtained a domestic violence injunction against Graham in November 2015. The injunction noted that Graham had a problem with drugs and alcohol and had “threatened to conceal, kidnap or harm the petitioner’s child or children.” The injunction was dismissed a month later when the woman did not show up for a court hearing.