Advertisement

St. Petersburg man, woman arrested in death of girl, 3, thrown against wall

Monica Williams, 33, and Daquan Marquel Lindsey, 25, are charged with murder in the first degree and multiple charges related to child abuse.
 
Monica Williams, 33, and Daquan Marquel Lindsey, 25, are charged with murder in the first-degree murder in connection with the death of a 3-year-old girl in St. Petersburg.
Monica Williams, 33, and Daquan Marquel Lindsey, 25, are charged with murder in the first-degree murder in connection with the death of a 3-year-old girl in St. Petersburg. [ The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office ]
Published Aug. 13, 2022|Updated Aug. 13, 2022

ST. PETERSBURG — A man and woman are facing charges of first-degree murder and child abuse in connection with the death of a 3-year-old girl who was thrown against a wall and who had wounds and burns on her body that were in various stages of healing, according to arrest affidavits.

The St. Petersburg Police Department arrested Monica Williams, 33, and Daquan Marquel Lindsey, 25, on Friday.

Williams and Lindsey were the primary caregivers of Brandy Crews, 3, according to a news release from St. Petersburg police on Saturday.

The affidavits state that Crews suffered head trauma and was unresponsive when paramedics arrived to treat her on Tuesday. Williams and Lindsey had waited 40 minutes after the girl was thrown against the wall to call 911, the affidavits state.

The arrest affidavits are redacted, making it unclear who — Monica or Lindsey — is accused of actually throwing the child against the wall.

When paramedics arrived, they found the girl ashen and not breathing. They also observed many injuries on the child — burn marks on her hip and leg, injuries to her eye, a healing cut on the back of her neck, and “hundreds of small scars covering her body,” the affidavit states.

The child’s injuries were believed to show “abusive head trauma,” according to a nurse mentioned in the affidavits. The girl, who was taken to a hospital, died Friday, according to the media release.

According to the affidavit, Crews also had been hit with a belt until she was “bloody and swollen countless times in the past.”

In addition to the murder charge, Williams is charged with four counts of child neglect and three counts of child abuse, all of which are felonies. Lindsey is also charged with two counts of child abuse with great bodily harm, which are felonies.

According to the media release, there were four children in the residence. A young boy, and two additional children under the age of 14, were removed from the home.

Affidavits described two young children, a boy and girl, who both displayed signs of being mentally delayed. The girl and boy could not communicate verbally and were not potty trained. The affidavit alleges Williams did not seek proper treatment for the children.

A 4-year-old child also had marks, bruises and scarring that looked intentionally inflicted, another affidavit said. A medical professional looked at a 3-year-old child, and found the child had a swollen foot and a fractured hand, one affidavit said.

Lindsey and Williams were being held without bail at the Pinellas County jail on Saturday.