Couple Found Guilty In Beating Death Of Son, 5, Left On LI To Die: DA

BRENTWOOD, NY— A jury found a Queens couple guilty Friday of murdering the woman's five-year-old son and leaving him to die in a Brentwood apartment, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Tierney said that Valerie Owusu, 28, and Emmanuel Addae, 28, of Corona, Queens, were found guilty of second-degree murder after a jury trial for the 2021 beating death of Owusu’s son, King Owusu.

The evidence at trial established that between March 30 and April 1, 2021, Owusu and Addae brutally beat King with at least four different instruments inside their apartment in Lefrak City, Queens, Tierney said.

The couple watched King’s physical condition deteriorate for approximately three days until King lost unconsciousness, the DA said. During that time, both Owusu and Addae did not call 911, take King to the doctor, or provide any medical care to the child, Tierney added.

On April 1, 2021, Owusu and Addae brought King to a family member’s home in Brentwood and left him there to die, Tierney said. The Suffolk County Police Department was called after the family member returned home the same day and discovered that the boy was deceased; the child was taken to Southside Hospital where he was pronounced dead, the DA said.

The medical examiner who conducted the child’s autopsy testified that King was beaten from head
to toe, and that his injuries, which were too numerous to count, caused his death.

On Friday, Owusu and Addae were each convicted of second-degree murder, a Class A felony, after a two-and-a-half-week-long jury trial heard before Supreme Court Justice Steven A. Pilewski, Tierney said.

Each defendant faces up to 25 years to life in prison, Tierney added.

Owusu and Addae are due back in court for sentencing on May 1.

Owusu is being represented by attorney Rene Myatt. "My client is devastated by the outcome," Myatt said, adding that she would be speaking to Owusu's family and considering options. "She's just devastated."

Addae is being represented by Raymond Baierlein, who did not immediately return a request for comment.

"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," said Tierney. "Thanks to the thorough investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department, the relentless pursuit of justice by the prosecutors assigned to this case, and the jury’s careful consideration of the evidence presented, the defendants have been held accountable for this horrific crime.”