A state Supreme Court jury on Monday convicted a Rochester, New York woman in the beating death of her three-year-old son.
30-year-old Andrea Lipton was the second person convicted in connection with the death of Kei’mere Marshall in July 2020. She was convicted of second-degree manslaughter, a felony.
Earlier this year, Lipton’s boyfriend Anthony Love was acquitted of second-degree murder, but convicted of first-degree manslaughter for the death of Kei’mere. Love was sentenced to 25 years in state prison last month and is currently in Attica Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison for men in Wyoming County.
Love lived with Lipton and Kei’mere in a home on Avenue C. He was convicted of physically abusing Kei’mere while acting as Kei’mere’s caregiver between July 1 and July 11, 2020.
Kei’mere suffered numerous physical injuries, including a ruptured spleen and pelvic fractures that went untreated by medical professionals. He suffered blood loss as a result of his injuries and went into cardiac arrest, according to court documents.
Kei’mere was found on the floor at 240 Avenue C on July 11, 2020. Officers were called to the scene around 1:30 a.m. when he was found unresponsive and not breathing. According to Rochester police, responding officers performed CPR until emergency medical technicians arrived and took the boy to Strong Memorial Hospital.
After three days in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong, Kei’mere died. He never regained consciousness and was on life-support during his full hospital stay. While hospitalized, he was found to have numerous severe injuries.
Lipton was accused of failing to seek medical treatment for her son “knowing that he was in pain and in need of said medical treatment for these injuries,” Rochester Police investigator Jackie Shuman said at the time of Lipton’s arrest in August 2020.
“He was a happy boy,” said Tieara Harvey of Rochester, Love’s niece who was also friendly with Lipton and knew Kei’mere and his two older siblings. She described Kei’mere, who was affectionately called “Moochie,” as a “sweet, calm and playful” child.
Assistant District Attorney Sara VanStrydonck, who prosecuted the case with ADA Amanda Balling, said that she was pleased with the verdict, but “it does not change the fact that a 3-year-old toddler is no longer with us.”
“As parents, our number one responsibility is to keep our children safe and healthy. Moochie’s mother allowed him to suffer unimaginable pain for days that eventually led to his death, a tragedy that was 100% preventable,” VanStrydonck said.
“Kei’Mere Marshall had adults and loved ones in his life who were willing to take care of him, but instead he ended up in the hands of Andrea Lipton and Anthony Love,” Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley said in a news release on Monday.
“It is devastating that these two did not value this child’s life and took little Moochie from everyone who loved him. Let us remember Moochie’s short life and unnecessary death when we see or suspect something in our community and neighborhoods.”
Speak up and say something if you suspect any sort of child abuse, Doorley said.
Lipton faces a maximum sentence of 5 to 15 years in state prison and is scheduled to be sentenced by Justice Victoria Argento on May 19.
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