Brownsville Man Who Fatally Shook Toddler Gets 16 Years, DA Says

BROWNSVILLE, BROOKLYN — The man who violently and fatally shook his 2-year-old stepdaughter will spend more than a decade in prison, prosecutors said.

David Adams, 28, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for repeatedly shaking his tiny stepdaughter, Thaiya Spruill-Smith, in his home at 340 Dumont Ave. and causing her death in November 2014, the Brooklyn District Attorney announced Friday.

Adams pleaded guilty to manslaughter and admitted he shook her so violently the afternoon of Nov. 12 that that her head snapped back and forth and her body went limp, prosecutors said.

The girl’s breathing became troubled the next day and ther mother, Teoka Spruill-Adams, called 911 at about 5 a.m., prosecutors said.

Emergency responders rushed her to Brookdale Hospital where doctors determined she was brain dead, said prosecutor.

Spruill-Adams was taken off life support and died from what the Medical Examiner’s officers determined was Abusive Head Trauma. on Nov. 14, prosecutors said.

“This defendant’s repeated actions of violently shaking a defenseless and innocent child resulted in her heartbreaking death,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. “Shaking a child is often fatal and we will continue to hold those who abuse our children accountable.”

Photo courtesy of the Brooklyn District Attorney's office