FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A North Lauderdale man accused of killing his girlfriend's 3-year-old son was arrested late Tuesday night in Lauderhill.
Broward Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Keyla Concepcion said Corey Gordon, 28, will face a charge of first-degree murder in the death of Khyese Coach. He was being held without bond Wednesday morning.
Chantel Haye, 20, arrived at the emergency room at Coral Springs Medical Center on Monday afternoon with the lifeless body of her son.
Concepcion said Haye left Khyese in the care of Gordon while she was at work for her first day at a telemarketing company in Boca Raton. When Gordon picked up Haye from work Monday afternoon, she noticed something was wrong with Khyese, who was cold to the touch, and demanded that Gordon take her to the hospital.
"I kept asking him, 'What did you do? What did you do?'" Haye told Local 10 News.
Khyese's aunt, Penny Williams, said the boy "had marks on his face, both sides of his face. His lip was busted, and he was just stretched out."
Concepcion said Gordon took Haye to the hospital about 5 p.m. and then left.
An autopsy determined that Khyese died as a result of blunt force trauma.
"I can tell you that Gordon will be a lucky man to spend the rest of his life in jail and not have to suffer the way this baby suffered," Concepcion said.
Khyese's grandmother said she had seen signs of abuse.
"Right before Halloween, he came over with a black eye," Glenda Haye said.
She also said Khyese was afraid of Gordon, but her daughter didn't believe the abuse was happening.
According to the Florida Department of Children and Families, there were two prior reports of abuse involving Khyese. The first report was made in 2009 and "involved the paramour," while the most recent investigation was closed in December 2014.
DCF records state that Khyese "was always crying and had marks that resembled belt marks on his body. There were also concerns of domestic violence in the home." The investigation was closed with "no indicators" for physical injury.
"I kept coming on the news so they could find him and they did, and I'm very, very, very happy," a crying Chantel Haye told Local 10. "But it still hurts, because my baby is gone."
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