The mother of a 9-year-old girl who She was found dead inside a Brooklyn apartment. She was charged with multiple charges including murder, manslaughter and assault in the death of her daughter, the district attorney’s office announced.
Shemene Cato was arraigned in Brooklyn Supreme Court on Friday. In addition to murder, manslaughter and assault, she is charged with child endangerment, weapons possession and threats. She has been ordered held without bail and her next court appearance is scheduled for August 5.
“This horrific murder took the life of a beautiful child, allegedly at the hands of her mother,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. “The brutality of this attack shocks the conscience, and we are committed to seeking accountability and justice.”
Some De The jarring details of the alleged abuse were first shared in May. Court documents broke down what allegedly happened on the morning of May 15, when Cato, 48, allegedly carried out an attack that ultimately claimed the life of 9-year-old Shalom Guifarro, his youngest daughter.
Around 8:00 am, the mother would have beaten Shalom and her other daughter, a 13-year-old girl, with an electrical cable and a broom, in an attack that lasted for about two hours, according to prosecutors. The abuse occurred as a result of the loss of a tablet, according to prosecutors.
As the girl tried to hide and escape the abuse inside her Crown Heights home, little Shalom ducked under a bed to hide. However, Cato allegedly lifted the bed and went to get the girl out, according to court documents. As he went to do so, he dropped the bed, causing it to fall on his head, prosecutors said.
The minor allegedly also suffered other cuts and bruises to the lower half of her body. The medical examiner later found that Shalom had multiple blunt force injuries to her face, head and body, causing internal bleeding that ultimately killed her, according to the documents.
During the brutal beating, the 9-year-old girl did not give up hope that her mother would show her mercy, but the woman who was supposed to protect her showed only indifference, according to court documents.
“Mommy, help me,” Shalom Guifarro would have pleaded as she clung to life in her family’s apartment after enduring at least two hours of abuse from her mother Shemene Cato, according to court documents.
Shalom’s older sister finally managed to sneak out and call 911 around 1 pm that day.
Bart Hubbach, owner of the restaurant downstairs, said his employees smelled the odor Sunday morning and called police to check it out before officers arrived that afternoon.
Information on Cato’s attorney was not immediately available. Police initially questioned her mother on the Sunday of the complaint, but she was released before being arrested Monday afternoon after the city medical examiner ruled the case a homicide.
Neighbors near the home on Lincoln Place where the girl was found said a foul odor wafted from the house before police arrived around 1 pm, the prosecutor’s office said.
The 13-year-old daughter was taken to Brooklyn Hospital after paramedics arrived at the scene and was treated for cuts and bruises to her lower body.
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