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Norfolk father accused of killing 9-month-old a had violent past

A father in Norfolk is accused of killing his nine-month-old daughter in mid-November, and court documents showed he had a violent past.

NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) — A father in Norfolk is accused of killing his nine-month-old daughter in mid-November, and court documents show he had a violent past.

The father, 28-year-old Kasiam Tinsley, claimed a shoe box fell on his daughter while she was in her crib. He said that's what killed her.

READ MORE: Norfolk father arrested, accused of killing his 9-month-old daughter

At his hearing, a child abuse expert said the nine-month-old, Makayla, had injuries to her forehead, multiple bruises, and an eyelid abrasion.

In court, the judge denied bond because Tinsley had too many violent offenses on his record. He had a previous record from Georgia that included aggravated battery-family violence, cruelty to children in the first degree, and aggravated assault family violence.

13News Now spoke with Atoya Brown, the mother of another of Tinsley's children. She said she married Tinsley in 2011 and had a child with him. After hearing about Makayla's death, she said Tinsley also abused her child several years ago.

"That's my daughter's sister, regardless of who the mom is… they have the same dad, and they are siblings,” said Brown.

Brown said Tinsley abused her daughter while she was at work.

"I went to grab her and she screamed, and my motherly instincts told me something was wrong. The doctor came in and took her shirt off and my baby had bruises all the way down from her neck to the base of her ankles. And she had the biggest mark on the side of her shoulder. The X-ray came back that she indeed had a broken collarbone. So, he got arrested directly from the hospital,” said Brown.

Mary Taylor, a victim advocate from the Samaritan House in Norfolk, said it's never too late to speak out about abuse.

"If something needs to be investigated, and needs to be found, the first step is really reporting it,"

said Taylor.

Brown agrees you always have to report an abuser.

"They cannot be mute in this situation. I understand that's your family, that's your friend, but people need to step up and honestly tell how this person is,” said Brown.

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