7-year-old boy was beaten to death by his parents last week after he failed to read the Bible and do his homework

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A 7-year-old boy was beaten to death by his parents last week after he failed to read the Bible and do his homework, according to Metro Police.

The boy's stepfather, Markiece Palmer, 34, and the boy's mother, Dina Palmer, 27, were arrested and charged with murder, child abuse and neglect in the beating death of Roderick Arrington, a second-grader at Roundy Elementary School. A hearing on the murder charges is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. Thursday in Las Vegas Township Justice Court.


Arrington was admitted to the UMC's pediatric intensive care unit in critical condition. A doctor reported that Arrington suffered from strokes and fixed pupils and had bruises on the arms, abdomen, back, legs, thighs and buttocks.
"The buttocks had fresh open wounds that appeared to be from being whipped," the report said, adding that some of the bruises had left some tissue dead.
Arrington had surgery but died sometime after he was admitted to the hospital. Metro, in its news release Tuesday, said the boy died Friday.

Upon interviewing the Palmers, police uncovered the following, according to the arrest report:

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The first time was about one month after Arrington moved to Las Vegas, and it was for lying, the stepfather told police. The second time was Nov. 28, when Arrington allegedly told his stepfather that he hated him and that he was not his father.

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Last Tuesday, Markiece Palmer admitted to police that he spanked Arrington because he allegedly lied about reading a chapter in the Bible. Dina Palmer struck Arrington on his buttocks with both a belt and her hand, the report said.

The next day at about 9:30 p.m., Markiece Palmer found Arrington asleep in bed without finishing his homework. Arrington allegedly lied about doing his homework, so Palmer said he struck Arrington on his buttocks with his belt, the report said.

Arrington then allegedly ran up to his stepfather with balled fists. Markiece Palmer — who is 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs 150 pounds — then grabbed the boy by his arms and shook him hard. Dina Palmer said she also struck Arrington with a belt and a paddle two to three times, the report said.
During the altercation, Arrington reportedly ran down the stairs and fell, hitting his forehead on a table, Markiece Palmer told police. The stepfather then told Arrington to take a bath, after which he put cocoa butter on the open wounds on the boy's buttocks, the report said.

Arrington, who told his father he felt like throwing up, then went to bed. He never woke up, the report said.
Markiece Palmer found the breathing, but unresponsive, boy in his bed between 6 and 6:45 a.m. on Thursday, the report said. Dina Palmer called their pastor, who told them to call an ambulance.

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Police recovered a broken broom stick with what appears to be blood, belts, cords, spatulas and bloodied clothes from a warrant search of the Palmer residence, the report said.