Friends 'Stunned, Saddened' By Tulsa 14 Year Old's Guilty Murder Plea

<p>A 14-year-old boy is in jail after pleading guilty to murder.&nbsp;Friends of the teen have&nbsp;followed his story for the past year, and his guilty murder plea shocked them.</p>

Wednesday, June 22nd 2016, 11:20 pm

By: News On 6


A 14-year-old boy is in jail after pleading guilty to murder.

Charging documents say Dinero Reddick was watching his 2-year-old cousin, Charity last June. Hours later, a neighbor called 911 because the toddler stopped breathing.

Dinero's friends, Nikya Brown and Kira Favors said they're stunned and saddened.

"I describe Dinero, as, well, he was a pretty nice person. And I didn't think he was the type of person to do anything like this," Brown said.

The two girls last saw Reddick the day before he got arrested.

They've been following his story on the news for the past year, and his guilty murder plea shocked them.

6/22/2016 Related Story: Tulsa Teen Sentenced In Child Abuse Murder Of Cousin

Brown said, "I didn't think he did it. Or I didn't believe what I was hearing or seeing."

Prosecutors say 2-year-old Charity Simmons was in Reddick's care while the toddler's mom, Christina, was at a local night club.

Around 4:30 a.m., a neighbor saw Reddick carrying the child, who wasn't breathing. The neighbor gave her CPR but she never regained consciousness.

An autopsy revealed Charity had a human bite mark on her shoulder. Her liver was torn and her adrenal gland burst, all as a result of blunt force trauma.

The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide.

Tuesday, Reddick pleaded guilty to child abuse murder. His sentence is at least 25 years.

Simmons, the child's mother, is charged with child neglect.

Reddick's friends wonder if the situation would have turned out differently if he hadn't had to watch the child by himself.

Favors said, "I can barely watch myself, why would I have to watch a little baby?"

"He was still a baby. Watching other people's kids at 13 with no adult supervision, and that was wrong," said Brown.

Reddick's official sentence was 45 years with 20 years suspended. He'll stay at the Juvenile Detention Bureau until he's 18, and then his case will be re-evaluated.

logo

Get The Daily Update!

Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News on 6 delivered right to your inbox!

More Like This

June 22nd, 2016

March 14th, 2024

December 4th, 2023

September 25th, 2023

Top Headlines

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024