The mother of a five-week-old who died in October told police the baby's father had become increasingly impatient and physically abusive toward their children in the months leading up to the infant's death, according to a criminal complaint.
Allegheny County Police today charged Lincoln Levys, 28, of Wilkinsburg with criminal homicide, endangering the welfare of children and aggravated assault.
Five-week-old Saige Levys died at 6:22 a.m. Oct. 23 at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC after someone called 911 that morning to report that she was unresponsive.
Mr. Levys was charged that day with assaulting Saige, her 20-month-old brother and her 7-year-old half sister.
Police said their mother, 28-year-old Sheena Alston, told one of the children to lie about their injuries and failed to get adequate medical care for some of them. She faces charges of endangering the welfare of children.
Allegheny County homicide Lt. Andrew Schurman said at the time that detectives were awaiting the results of additional tests on Saige and to consult with prosecutors "before homicide charges are filed.”
In a Jan. 21 interview, Ms. Alston told police the weekend before Saige died, Mr. Levys said, "He couldn't handle me and those [expletive] kids."
She told police Mr. Levys would hold a pacifier in the baby's mouth while bouncing her face down on his arm, the criminal complaint said.
At times, the baby made noises indicating she was in pain.
Ms. Alston "noted tearfully that it was 'too much,' " the complaint says.
A doctor who examined Saige wrote that she had old and new scratches on her face, “too many to get a clear count.”
Ms. Alston told police those marks first appeared when the baby was three weeks old. She said the baby had sensitive skin, but the marks also could have been caused by Mr. Levys' long fingernails as he held the pacifier in the baby's mouth.
On the day the baby died, Mr. Levys primarily took care of the child. Around 8:30 p.m. the baby cried and he fed her, the complaint says.
When Ms. Alston woke up at 5:30 a.m., she told police Saige was "cold" and the marks on her face were the "worst" she'd ever seen them.
The baby also had bruises, leg fractures and “evidence of likely other older/healing fractures,” according to a criminal complaint.
“The amount of violence directed at this child at just weeks of life is difficult to conceive,” the doctor wrote, according to the complaint. “Given the healing nature of some abrasions — this child has been the victim of violence on more than one occasion and likely repeatedly.”
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's office filed final report Feb. 6 on Saige's death that stated the infant died of abusive trauma of the head, trunk and extremities and ruled the death a homicide.
Mr. Levys has been in the Allegheny County Jail since Dec. 8, when he violated conditions of his bond by having contact with one of the children, court records show.
Lexi Belculfine: lbelculfine@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1878. Twitter: @LexiBelc.
First Published: February 12, 2015, 1:06 a.m.
