The following is a Pierce County Prosecutor’s press release:
On Thursday, Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist charged Derrick Myers, 28, with first degree murder for the alleged killing of 3-year-old Terric Davis.
Terric died at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital soon after arrival on May 7. The doctor noted physical injuries consistent with the baby having been abused. The child’s mother explained to police that the child had been fine before she left him with her boyfriend while she went to work.
“The death of a child is heartbreaking,” said Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. “And the murder of a child is horrible.”
The mother and Myers were living together in an apartment in the 7600 block of Pacific Avenue in Tacoma. At about 3:40 p.m., the mother left for her second job, a four-hour shift at a nearby store. As she had on numerous previous occasions, she left the children at the apartment with Myers.
At the end of her shift, the mother received a text message from the defendant indicating Terric had made a mess of himself and would need to be bathed. When she got home she found Terric on the bathroom floor complaining that his stomach hurt. Terric was lethargic and had already vomited. She initially attributed the complaints to a general illness or side effects from some medicine Terric was taking. The defendant apparently went to sleep while Terric’s mother tended to Terric. When his condition worsened his mother took him to the hospital. By the time they arrived at the hospital Terric was unresponsive and she carried him into the emergency room. Terric died a short time later.
The attending physician told police that it was a case of child abuse. An autopsy revealed significant abdominal injuries which caused extensive internal bleeding, a lacerated pancreas, a transected small bowel, a v-shaped branching pattern skull fracture, and numerous bruises to the body. The medical examiner determined Terric died from blunt force trauma to the abdomen.
Derrick Myers is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, May 9, at 1:30 pm, in Courtroom 260 in the Pierce County City Building.
Charges are only allegations and a person is presumed innocent unless he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
