Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
18 Year Old Charged with 4 Year Old's Murder
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 1, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 1, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The 18 year old boyfriend of Aleshia Smith, Jose Calderon, was charged with the murder of Smith's 4 year old son, Quachon Brown. Calderon was angry at Brown for knocking over a TV, and beat him from Friday until Sunday, when the boy died. Smith was arrested for manslaughter, as she did nothing to prevent her son's death. The abuse inflicted on Brown over the weekend is terrifying. Here's an approximate timeline of events, based on reports from the Daily News, Post, and NY Times:
- Friday: Brown knocks over TV; Calderon punched and slammed Brown (the Times writes Calderon "grabbed him by the ankles, swung him and hurled him into the wall"), and repeated this over the weekend.
- Saturday: The family goes to Chuck E. Cheese, where Brown vomits blood; Calderon beats him again
- Sunday/Monday: Brown soils the bed and Calderon tries to revive him; Calderon and Smith argue about calling 911
- Monday: Paramedics detemine Brown has been dead for hours, based on his 83 degree body temperature [NY Times]
Yesterday, the Times also had a story about neighbors helping Smith - until Calderon moved into the apartment (a quote from a friend of Calderon's backs up his story about the TV falling on the child; but police interviews with Smith's other children seem to confirm Calderon beat Brown). Further, the depressing but now unsurprising news is that the Administration for Children's Service was notified 6 times about the living conditions for Smith's six children, though they had no record of knowing Calderon was living in the home. These stories of abuse are so upsetting - can an additional $17 million really help out? As poor a job as the ACS has been doing, it must be one of the worst jobs to have, to confront these things day after day.
Photograph of Calderon from the NY Times
Tagged
abuse
ACS
As
children
Chuck
Chuck E
daily news
death
events
jen chung
jobs
Jose Calderon
murder
news
News: NYC
ny times
police
Quachon Brown
tv
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits
Nearly 1 million in the city risk losing benefits as a result of new federal restrictions.
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 12:43 p.m. ET
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
A 26-year-old died after being shot on the platform at the Midtown station. Commuters are rattled.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
News
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
A 26-year-old died after being shot on the platform at the Midtown station. Commuters are rattled.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
These are the NYC neighborhoods that will get free 2-K next fall
By
Karen Yi
Early Addition: Get to know Wanda, the donkey in the Met's 'La Bohème'
By
James Ramsay
Eric Adams' NYC buildings boss Eric Ulrich heads to trial, 3 years after arrest
By
David Brand
and
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .