Man's Sick Secrets at Center of Toddler Beating: Police
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Summary
Takeaways
- ❖3-year-old Paisley Brown died from blunt force trauma, ruled a homicide, with ligature marks found on her wrists and ankles.
- ❖Jerome Cooms, the mother's boyfriend, is accused of binding Paisley's hands and taping her legs as a form of 'discipline' for smearing feces.
- ❖Cooms allegedly punched Paisley three times in the chest with his knuckles, causing her to stop breathing.
- ❖Paisley's mother, Jennifer Kendrick, was aware of the abuse, including other children being handcuffed and punched, as evidenced by text messages.
- ❖Kendrick delayed calling 911 for 40 minutes after being notified Paisley was unresponsive, instead finishing her nail appointment.
- ❖Cooms was previously arrested in 2019 for domestic violence involving a 2-month-old baby, but received a withheld adjudication and 12 months probation, avoiding a conviction.
- ❖A grand jury indicted Cooms on first-degree felony murder and multiple counts of aggravated child abuse and child abuse against four other victims.
- ❖Prosecutors have until May 11th to decide whether to seek the death penalty against Jerome Cooms.
Insights
1Systematic Abuse and Fatal Outcome for Paisley Brown
Jerome Cooms, the live-in boyfriend, implemented a 'discipline' system for 3-year-old Paisley Brown, which included binding her hands with rope and taping her legs with blue painter's tape from thighs to ankles, forcing her to sleep this way nightly. On February 19th, while Paisley's mother was out, Cooms allegedly dropped Paisley, then struck her three times in the chest with his knuckles, 'digging' into her chest after each strike, leading to her stopping breathing and eventual death from blunt force trauma.
Cooms admitted to detectives that he bound Paisley, dropped her, and then 'popped' her three times in the chest. When confronted that 'popped' didn't match injuries, he demonstrated on a doll, showing he used his knuckles to 'dig' into her chest. Autopsy revealed blunt force trauma and ligature marks. (, , )
2Mother's Complicity and Delayed Intervention
Jennifer Kendrick, Paisley's mother, was aware of the severe abuse inflicted by Cooms on Paisley and her other children. Text messages from Kendrick to Cooms explicitly show her concern about visible bruises on a child due to 'popping with shoe' and 'whole ear is bruised up,' but her primary concern was avoiding child protective services, not stopping the abuse. When informed Paisley was unresponsive, Kendrick delayed calling 911 for 40 minutes, first finishing her nail appointment and making other calls before finally dialing emergency services.
A 9-year-old boy in the home described Cooms handcuffing, punching, and stomping on him, with Kendrick often present. Text messages from Kendrick to Cooms on Jan 6th and 7th, 2026, discuss hiding bruises from DCF. Kendrick was informed Paisley was unresponsive at a.m. but the 911 call was made at a.m. (, , , )
3Prior Domestic Violence Incident and Lenient Outcome
In 2019, Jerome Cooms was involved in a domestic disturbance where he allegedly threw his then-wife to the ground while she was wearing a chest baby carrier with their 2-month-old son inside. Despite video evidence confirming the victim's account, Cooms received a 'withheld adjudication,' meaning no conviction on his record, and was sentenced to 12 months probation. This outcome allowed him to avoid a criminal record that might have prevented him from becoming a primary caregiver for Kendrick's children.
Body camera footage and probable cause affidavit from December 8th, 2019, detail the incident. The deputy confirmed surveillance video matched the victim's account. Court records show a judge 'withheld adjudication' and Cooms received 12 months probation. (, , )
Lessons
- Recognize the signs of child abuse, such as unexplained bruises, ligature marks, or behavioral changes, and report them immediately to child protective services or law enforcement.
- Prioritize a child's safety above all else; any delay in seeking emergency medical attention for an unresponsive child can have fatal consequences and indicates a severe failure of parental responsibility.
- Advocate for stricter legal consequences for domestic violence offenses, especially those involving children, to prevent repeat offenders from escalating violence and harming other vulnerable individuals.
Quotes
"Your children, once you become a parent, any priorities that you had are owed. Your new priority is your child and you are responsible completely for their safety, well-being, and happiness. So, she abandoned that and she's been charged accordingly and she is right where she needs to be."
"Most parents, that's the worst news you ever would get. You would be calling 911. Multiple people would be calling 911. But we received no 911 call. Not more than 40 minutes later, she drives home... Would that have saved this child's life? We don't know. Don't know that, but would would have been the right thing to do? Absolutely. She failed in that sense and so when you ask about her priorities, I think her priorities are herself. Very selfish."
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