Mom's boyfriend charged after girl, 2, beaten to death in South Philly, DA says
A 2-year-old girl was beaten to death in a South Philadelphia home and her mother’s boyfriend has been charged in the crime, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said.
Three people have been charged with a variety of offenses — including murder — in the death of 2-year-old Key’Monnie Bean who was found unresponsive in the basement of a South Philadelphia home along the 2100 block of Beechwood Street back on Dec. 8, 2025.
According to police, Alycia McNeill, 20, Sean Hernandez, 21, (a.k.a. Raafi Gorham) and Anthony Lowrie, 21, all of South Philly, have been arrested and charged in connection to the girl’s death.
Hernandez, officials said, has been charged with murder, possession of an instrument of a crime, reckless endangerment and related offenses. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2026.
In a press event on Thursday, Krasner said that Hernandez is being held after being accused of beating Key’Monnie to death.
“This is a brutal beating that, by all indications caused the death of this child,” said Krasner, noting Hernandez was the boyfriend of Key’Monnie’s mother, but was not the child’s father.
McNeill and Lowrie have been charged with obstruction of justice and related offenses, officials said.
The incident happened when, police said, officers responded to a report of an unresponsive child at a home on the 2100 block of South Beechwood Street at about 8:35 p.m. back on Dec. 8.
At that time, according to police, arriving officers were led to a basement where Key’Monnie Bean was found laying unresponsive on the floor.
Officials also said that officers immediately noticed bruising all over Key’Monnie’s body when they arrived at the scene and it appeared that the girl had suffered long-term abuse.
An officer performed CPR until medics arrived and the girl was taken to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead at about 9:42 p.m., officials said.
“We also have preliminary information that her airways were compromised, perhaps she was suffocated in some way,” Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski said.
Father speaks out
Ta’Shaun Walls, the father of Key’Monnie, spoke with NBC10 on Thursday.
“All I got to say to this man, he had no reason to put his hands on my daughter,” Walls said. “I hope he just really rots in jail, honestly. I hope he gets the max.”
As Walls continues to grieve, he’s also turning his attention to his daughter’s mother who was questioned by detectives and then released.
“She watched all this happen,” Walls said. “I feel she should be in jail too with him and charged as well. She watched this man place hands on my daughter and did nothing about it. And then fled the scene and basically acted like she was nowhere to be found.”
