Abused Bronx Girl's Stepdad Charged With Murder

By Melissa Grace and Alice Mcquillan, Daily News Staff Writers
Originally published in the New York Daily News, November 23, 2001

The stepfather of a 7-year-old girl who died a virtual prisoner of abuse inside a hellhole Bronx apartment was charged yesterday with her murder.

Jason Lewis, 24, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Inez Bennett, a child whose emaciated body bore so many bruises and burn marks that a paramedic working on her wept at the sight.

Lewis was being kept under guard at Jacobi Medical Center after suffering a broken ankle when he jumped from a third-floor window of the Bronxdale apartment trying to elude police.

Authorities released Bennett's mother, Natasha Anderson, 26, after questioning her for about 24 hours.

Anderson was set free because her testimony is needed to help convict Lewis, who steadfastly denied hurting the little girl, law enforcement sources said.

However Inez's skin-and-bones body told another story, the welts, burns and bruises bearing evidence of a short life full of torment.

Inez weighed only 45 pounds. Police could find no record of her ever attending school. They believe she hasn't seen a doctor in years. Both her arms were broken, wrapped with school composition books used as crude splints.

She was found Wednesday morning after police were summoned to a Britton St. apartment by two 911 calls. One came from Anderson, who cried, "My baby's not breathing." Paramedics could not revive the girl, who was pronounced dead at Jacobi Medical Center.

Police believe she had been beaten inside the apartment for at least three years. That's the age of Lewis' and Anderson's son, who had some bruises but was otherwise healthy. The boy was placed with a foster family Wednesday night, said Nancy Poderycki, a spokeswoman with the Administration for Children's Services.

Neighbors said the couple argued frequently and that Lewis often hit Anderson. However, authorities were uncomfortable with the notion of Anderson as a victim when her daughter obviously had been suffering for some time.

An autopsy found Inez "had different fractures in various states of healing," said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the city medical examiner.

"This is year 2001. To allow that to go on, the mother is culpable to some degree," said a law enforcement source. "Whether she did anything to prevent it or did anything to harm those kids, we don't know."

Neighbors said they rarely saw Inez. Some didn't even know she existed. An upstairs neighbor said yesterday that Anderson would claim Inez was often away, visiting her grandmother.

There were no recent calls to child welfare authorities about her. The last time someone called—on Aug. 15, 1999—ACS deemed the neglect allegation unfounded.

Back then, ACS did arrange for the family to get a cleaning service. However, when cops entered the apartment Wednesday, masses of roaches crawled around freely. There was hardly any food in the refrigerator.

"Every time they opened the door, the odor was disgusting," said the upstairs neighbor.

Neighbors arranged a homemade memorial to Inez yesterday outside her building, filled with votive candles, flowers and a brown, fluffy teddy bear.

"May this Light shine the way to the Lord," said a note taped to a candle.