Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers announces charges against Edward Murray for Murder of a 21-month-old child

Today, Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers announced the indictment of Edward Murray (DOB: 06/08/2000) for the May 1, 2024 killing of child K.K., who was 21 months old at the time of his death.

Murray was indicted for two (2) counts of Murder (Special Felony), one (1) count of Felonious Assault (F2), and one (1) count of Child Endangering (F3). If convicted, he faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.

In the morning hours of May 2nd, 2024 paramedics were dispatched to the residence of Aminata Keita for a report of a non-responsive child. When first responders arrived, they found victim K.K. unresponsive and not breathing. K.K. was transported to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital ICU. Three days later, on May 5th, 2024, K.K. was pronounced dead. Further examination of K.K. following his death revealed the following injuries:

• Cardiac arrest with severe diffuse hypoxic-ischemic injury
• Complex right parietal and occipital bone fractures
• Rib fracture, subdural hemorrhage
• Grade 5 liver lacerations with hemoperitoneum
• Diffuse retinal hemorrhages; and
• Brain swelling due to inner-cranial hemorrhaging

Child abuse expert physicians at Cincinnati Children’s determined these injuries could only have occurred from violent impacts against objects or from delivered blows. After autopsy, the death was ruled a homicide.

Investigation by Cincinnati Police revealed that Aminata Keita (mother of K.K.) had been dating defendant Edward Murray for approximately three months. On the evening of K.K.’s death, Murray had been alone with K.K. outside the residence playing. After that, Murray brought K.K. inside and directly to bed, skipping dinner claiming the child was tired. Murray was alone with

K.K. in K.K.’s bedroom for several minutes before returning to smoke marijuana with Keita. Neither individual checked on K.K. for the remainder of the night. The next morning, Murray was again alone with K.K. when it was discovered K.K. was not breathing and unresponsive. Murray was unable to provide any alternate explanation for how K.K. could have been injured so severely.



Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers commented, “This case is both heartbreaking and sickening. I cannot imagine the amount of evil required to hurt an innocent child so severely. It is genuinely disturbing to think someone capable of doing this might walk among us.

I want to thank both the Cincinnati Police Department and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for their outstanding work investigating this matter; these cases are not easy. We are going to make sure that this killer goes behind bars for as long as possible.”