N.Y. couple convicted of beating 5-year-old boy ‘from head to toe,’ causing his death

A New York-based Ghanaian couple Valerie Owusu and Emmanuel Addae have been found guilty of murder in the second degree after a jury trial for the tragic beating to death of Valerie’s five-year-old son, King Owusu.

District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced the verdict, highlighting the brutality of the crime and the extensive suffering endured by young King Owusu. The couple now faces up to 25 years to life in prison for their actions.

A news release by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said the evidence presented during the trial revealed a horrific sequence of events. Between March 30 and April 1, 2021, Valerie Owusu and Emmanuel Addae subjected King Owusu to relentless beatings using at least four different instruments inside their apartment in Lefrak City, Queens. The child’s condition deteriorated over three days until he lost consciousness, but neither defendant sought medical assistance or called for emergency help.

Instead of seeking help, the couple brought King to a relative’s home in Brentwood on April 1, 2021, and abandoned him there. It was only when the family member returned home and found King deceased that the Suffolk County Police Department was alerted. The child was rushed to Southside Hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival.

The medical examiner’s testimony during the trial revealed the extent of King’s injuries, with signs of beatings covering his entire body, ultimately leading to his tragic death.

Valerie Owusu and Emmanuel Addae were convicted of Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A felony, after a lengthy jury trial presided over by Supreme Court Justice Steven A. Pilewski. Their sentencing is scheduled for May 1, 2024.

The prosecution team, led by Assistant District Attorneys Elena Tomaro and Scott Romano, worked in collaboration with the Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Squad, represented by Detective Patrick Portella and Detective James Hughes, to bring justice to King Owusu and hold the defendants accountable for their heinous actions.