A man who gained custody of his daughter four years ago has been charged with beating her to death inside their home last month, authorities said, AP reported. Russell Roberts, 43, of the New York City borough of Queens, was charged with second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter, first-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child, the Queens district attorney's office said in a release Thursday. Child welfare officials said Sierra Roberts, 7, had spent time in foster care, but that her father gained custody in 2001. About two years ago, she came to the attention of children's services workers for suspicious injuries, but authorities accepted his claim that she had been hurt in accidental falls. Roberts was arraigned and held without bail Thursday. His lawyer, Howard Teichner, said he would plead not guilty. Authorities claim that Roberts repeatedly slammed his knee into the girl's abdomen on Oct. 23. The following evening, Roberts bent his daughter over a bed and pummeled her with a belt, according to the criminal complaint. Roberts was originally arrested Nov. 4 on assault and child endangerment charges but a medical examiner later determined that the girl's death was a homicide. The medical examiner said she suffered blunt trauma to the torso, a laceration to the small intestine and fractured ribs. The Administration for Children's Services originally took custody of Sierra when she was born in 1998, after she and her birth mother tested positive for cocaine, according to published reports Friday. John B. Mattingly, commissioner of children's services, told reporters that his agency would review its practices of reuniting children with their birth parents.
