LAWRENCE KING III - 4 yo - Columbus OH

Bond was set Saturday at $1 million for a woman who faces child
endangering charges stemming from the death of her 4-year-old son.

Investigators allege that Nikkie Reeves took three of her children
into a room and turned up music so they would not hear her son,
Lawrence King III, being beaten to death.



King died early Thursday morning after being found unresponsive
inside a far-east side apartment.

A criminal complaint filed earlier this week alleged that King's
stepfather, John Reeves, was responsible for the boy's injuries.

The complaint alleged that John Reeves beat King and smashed the
boy's face into a wall.

John Reeves, who faces a charge of aggravated murder, has been
ordered held without bond.


* * * *



A woman now faces charges in connection with the death of her
4-year-old son.Nikkie Reeves was initially arrested Thursday after the death of her
son, Lawrence King III, but police released her from custody
a few hours later, saying she would not be charged.
Reeves was re-arrested late Thursday night and charged with child endangering.



Authorities were called to an apartment on Mount Badon, located near
Gender and Refugee roads, shortly after midnight and found King unresponsive.
He was pronounced dead about an hour later.
King's stepfather, John Reeves, 29, faces child endangering and
murder charges in connection with the boy's death.
A criminal complaint filed Thursday alleges that John Reeves did
serious physical harm to King, including striking the boy with his fist and hands and a leather belt.
The complaint also alleged that he smashed the boy's face into a wall.
Nikkie Reeves explained what happened when she called 911.
"I know that he just got beat up by his cousin over at grandma's
house and I don't know what happened. He was doing fine," she told a 911 dispatcher.
Court documents show Reeves lied on the phone, and later told
detectives she did not mean to lie, but feared what her husband would do to her.
Lori Jones, King's grandmother, had custody of the boy until a few
weeks ago.
"It disturbed me because I knew something was going to happen to
him," Jones said. "I wanted to hide him or something because of the past domestic violence."
Court documents claim Nikkie Reeves went to her bedroom with her
other children while the beating was happening,
turning up the music so it would not wake the
smaller children. Jones said she feels Nikkie Reeves is just as guilty as her husband.
"She allowed him to beaten and murdered and she knew about it and she
should be charged with murder too," Jones said.

The grandmother of a murdered child said
she blames the Franklin County Children Services in his death.

“I want to dispute a couple things,“ says Franklin County Children
Services Director Eric Fenner. “No one was able to anticipate this level
of tragedy, of course not, if that were possible of course we would all
do things differently.“

Fenner was responding to claims by Lawrence King’s grandmother that
Children Services is bearing part of the blame for the beating death of
her grandson.

4-year-old Lawrence King III was found unresponsive inside an
apartment on the 6400 block of Mount Badon Road early Thursday.

Lawrence was taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital where he was
pronounced dead. The Franklin County coroner later said the boy died
from blunt-trauma injuries.

Columbus police charged Lawrence’s stepfather, 29-year-old John J.
Reeves, and his mother, 23-year-old Nikkie Reeves, overnight Friday.

Lawrence was put back into a home with his mother and stepfather
after being taken out of his grandmother’s home, where he had lived
since he was 19 months old.

“I understand the grieving process that this family going through,
the horrendous trauma that this family is experiencing and I understand
the grandmother’s comments,“ Fenner said. “When you lose a child like
this you certainly believe someone’s to blame. Mr. Reeves is to blame.
It was at his hands that this child lost his life.“

John was charged was aggravated murder and child endangering in
connection with Lawrence’s death.

Nikkie was arrested and charged with child endangering in connection
with Lawrence’s death.

“I knew something was going to happen to him. I wanted to hide him or
something because of past domestic violence,“ claims the grandmother,
Lori Jones. Who does she blame?

“Children Services for taking and not following proper procedures
with getting him. He was supposed to stay with me.“

“The child was seen on March 3. Things seemed to be OK. There were no
obvious marks or bruises on the child,“ responds Fenner.

“It’s very important that we not try and go back and reinsert
ourselves or rewrite history. Things happen the way they happen. What we
do is we make decisions every day based on the information that’s right
in front of us. That’s all we can do,“ Fenner said.

An Ohio man has pleaded guilty to beating his 4-year-old stepson to death. John Reeves was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after he whipped Lawrence King III with a leather belt and killed him at the family's Columbus home in March. Reeves said he was trying to correct his stepson. An investigation found that Reeves beat the boy because he was acting up and wouldn't stand in the corner. The 29-year-old Reeves apologized in court in Columbus Friday and said that he loved the boy "more than anybody will know." Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Julie Lynch replied, "Trust me when I tell you, no one needs that kind of love." Police say the boy's mother, 24-year-old Nikki Reeves, turned up the radio to drown out the sound of a beating. She's awaiting trial on child endangering and murder charges. Reeves pleaded guilty to aggravated murder as part of a plea agreement that dropped four other charges: murder, felonious assault and two counts of child endangerment. Lawrence's father, Lawrence King II, cried in court as a prosecutor described the boy's injuries. An autopsy showed that the boy had bleeding and swelling of the brain. King accused Reeves of "taking my child from me over jealousy, over greed." But Reeves' father, the Rev. Michael Reeves Sr., defended his son. "John is not a thug," he said. "He is not the villain he has been portrayed in the media. ... I'm sorry for what happened, for what my son allegedly did, but there is more to the story."

The mother of a 4-year-old who was beaten to death by his stepfather pleaded guilty in the case this morning and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.Nikki Reeves, 24, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and child endangering. She apologized before Judge Julie M. Lynch sentenced her in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. Reeves said she loved her son, Lawrence King III, with all of her heart.Her husband, John J. Reeves, pleaded guilty on Oct. 1 to aggravated murder in the beating death.Lynch sentenced him to 25 years to life in prison.Three other charges -- felonious assault, permitting child abuse and another count of child endangering -- were dropped as part of a plea bargain.Mr. Reeves, 29, killed his stepson on March 17 in the family's home, at 6443 Mount Baden Rd. on the Far East Side. Reeves told the court he was "trying to correct the boy, and his mother wasn't helping."An investigation found that Reeves beat Lawrence and whipped him with a leather belt because he had lied and acted up and wouldn't stand in the corner where he'd been sent.During Mr. Reeves' hearing, Assistant Prosecutor Megan Jewett said the boy was unresponsive and covered with bruises when paramedics arrived at the home. An autopsy determined that the boy had bleeding and swelling of the brain and a lacerated liver.