Jonathan Thompson, the man accused of killing 4-year-old Adonis Reed in Amityville this week, pleaded not guilty on Saturday and was held without bail.
Prosecutors reportedly said in court that the 31-year-old boyfriend of Reed’s caregiver admitted to punching the boy twice. The blows lacerated the boy’s liver, prosecutors said, according to CBS, causing the boy to die.
Thompson was arraigned on charges of second-degree murder.
Suffolk County police arrested Thompson in Brooklyn on Friday with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Thomson was living in the same Ketcham Avenue apartment where police discovered the boy on Wednesday after an unidentified person called 911 and asked for an ambulance.
When police arrived, they found Reed lying unconscious on a couch in the living room. No adults were inside the apartment when police arrived.
Reed was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip where he was pronounced dead shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday, police said.
Detectives listed Reed’s death a homicide following Thursday’s autopsy, which was performed by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s office.
After the incident, Reed’s 6-year-old sister was taken into the custody of Child Protective Services earlier this week.
