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

MOUNT VERNON, NY — A jury has convicted the man who brutally attacked his girlfriend’s twin 2-year-old daughters, killing one and severely injuring the other. The jury announced its decision Thursday evening, finding him guilty on all counts of murder and assault.

Derran Morris, now 24, beat up the twins in 2017 while his girlfriend, several months pregnant, was at a doctor's appointment.

The jury handed up the conviction after two-and-a-half days of deliberations, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced.

Morris and the mother of the victims, Monique Turner, walked into Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital emergency room at 5:09 p.m. July 5, 2017, carrying Addison Turner and her twin sister in their arms. They told reception that Addison was not breathing.

Addison Turner had no pulse and was cold to the touch. Doctors and nurses attempted to revive the baby for 20 minutes. She was declared dead at 5:35 p.m., prosecutors said.

Emergency room staff called Mount Vernon police.

The other twin, who was injured but breathing, was rushed by ambulance to Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. Upon examination there, doctors determined the baby girl had suffered life-threatening abdominal trauma, including lacerations of the liver.

Mount Vernon detectives were notified of their findings.

On autopsy, it was found that Addison Turner suffered multiple bruises, trauma and a long deep laceration to her liver resulting in extensive blood loss.

The report by the Medical Examiner’s Office stated Addison Turner’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 other physicians testified at trial.

Addison’s sister, who was severely injured with lacerations to the liver, survived but required weeks of hospitalization.

The investigation found Morris had been alone with the children for several hours. Turner, Morris and the children lived together at the time.

Mount Vernon police arrested Morris two days later, after a fast-paced and intensive investigation.

Specifically, in the death of Addison Turner, Morris was convicted of:

• Murder in the Second Degree, a class A-1 violent felony
• Manslaughter in the First Degree, a class B felony

In the beating of the second child, he was convicted of:

• Assault in the First Degree, a class B felony
• Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony

Westchester County Court Judge Anne Minihan presided. Morris is scheduled for sentencing July 16, 2019.

This case was prosecuted by First Deputy District Attorney Patricia Murphy, Chief of Criminal Operations, and Assistant District Attorney Mary Clark-DiRusso, Deputy Chief of the Special Prosecutions Division Domestic Violence Bureau.

SEE:

• Father Indicted In Beating Of Twin Toddlers
• One 2-Year-Old Twin Dead, The Other Critical