Boyfriend Beat Toddlers While Pregnant Mom Was Out

MOUNT VERNON, NY — Derran Morris, 25, was sentenced to 25 years to life Tuesday in the death of a child in his care and a consecutive 23 years for the brutal beating of her twin sister. Westchester County Court Judge Anne Minihan presided over the trial and the sentencing.

County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced the sentence in the death of Addison Turner:

•  Murder in the Second Degree, a class A-1 violent felony – 25 to Life
•  Manslaughter in the First Degree, a class B felony – 25 + 5 Years Post Release Supervision

In the beating of Annalyn Turner, he was sentenced to:

• Assault in the First Degree, a class B felony – 23 Years + 5 Years PRS
• Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony – 7 Years + 3 PRS

At 5:10 p.m. July 5, Morris and the mother of the victims, Monique Turner, walked into Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital carrying Addison and Annalyn Turner in their arms. They told reception that Addison was not breathing.

Upon examination, it was determined that Addison also had no pulse and was cold to the touch. Doctors and nurses attempted to revive her for 20 minutes. She was declared dead at 5:35 p.m. At 5:40 p.m., Mount Vernon police arrived at the hospital after they were informed of a suspicious death by emergency room staff.

While the resuscitation effort of Addison was going on, a triage nurse noticed that Annalyn, who was still being carried in Morris's arms, appeared to be unwell. Annalyn was rushed to Bronx Montefiore Medical Center by ambulance. Upon examination, doctors there determined that Annalyn had suffered life threatening abdominal trauma including lacerations of the liver. Mount Vernon detectives were notified of their findings.

Morris was placed under arrest on July 7. Police alleged he beat them while their mother, who was three months pregnant, was at a doctor's appointment. They had recently moved in with him due to lead paint poisoning in their Bridgeport, CT apartment.

On autopsy, it was found that Addison suffered multiple bruises, trauma and an extremely deep laceration to her liver resulting in immediate, extensive blood loss. The report by the Medical Examiner’s Office stated Addison's cause of death was blunt force trauma to her body and the manner of death was homicide. Both the (now retired) Westchester County Chief Medical Examiner Kunjlata Ashar and three other physicians testified at the trial.

SEE ALSO: Jury Convicts Man Who Killed One 2-Year-Old, Injured Her Twin