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Trial Begins For Couple Accused Of Beating To Death 4-Year-Old Boy Over Spilled Cereal

WILLOW GROVE, Pa. (CBS) - The trial begins Monday for a Montgomery County couple accused of murdering a 4-year-old boy. Lisa Smith and her boyfriend Keiff King are accused of beating Smith's son, Tahjir, to death after he spilled his cereal.

LISA SMITH AND KEIFF KING

This happened back in January 2018 in their Willow Grove home.

Smith initially told police she was walking home with Tahjir when his feet became wobbly and he couldn't breathe.

Paramedics later found him unresponsive inside the home on the 1800 block of Lukens Avenue in Willow Grove. They describe living conditions inside the home as "deplorable."

"There were insects and roaches in the house," said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele.

Tahjir Smith

Authorities say the boy was repeatedly struck in the head and torso with both a hand and a shoe. Authorities say the autopsy also revealed old rib fractures the boy suffered, indicating this deadly beating was not the first.

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