Homicide charges filed against New Kensington man in death of 2-year-old stepson

A New Kensington stepfather whose 2-year-old boy died last month has been charged with murder.

Keith Dale Lilly Jr., 31, was previously charged with aggravated assault, child endangerment and reckless endangerment.

Online court documents show Lilly faces additional charges of homicide, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, recklessly endangering another person, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The child died April 24 at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 9 before New Kensington District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr.

Lilly was denied bail and remains lodged in the Westmoreland County Prison.

According to the criminal complaint, police went to an apartment at Valley Royal Court about 1:30 a.m. March 26 to assist ambulance personnel with a child in cardiac arrest.

Officers found the boy’s mother crying and distraught. Paramedics said they found Lilly performing CPR on the child, who was naked on the living room floor.

New Kensington officers said they saw bruises on the child’s back when he was carried to an ambulance. According to police, ambulance personnel reported seeing bruising in various stages of healing all over the child’s body, including a “huge bruise” on the ribs on the right side of his torso.

Lilly reportedly told police the boy had fallen off a couch that night and that he was “always falling off of the couch and getting hurt.”

Doctors, however, said the bruises on the boy’s back were not consistent with falling off a couch, and there was suspicion the boy had been sexually abused.

Medical staff observed injuries including a skull fracture with a brain bleed and swelling, numerous cheek bruises, mouth injuries, back and lower abdomen bruising, other fractures in various stages of healing, and bleeding from the rectum with bruising. Another doctor said the boy had hemorrhages of both eyes.

A doctor said injuries to his rectum likely were inflicted three or four days before he was seen at the hospital.

The mother told police she had left the apartment during the day March 25, leaving the boy in Lilly’s care. That night, the three watched television in the living room, and she went to bed about 10 p.m.

No charges have been filed against the mother.