Man Beats Girlfriend’s 3-Year-Old Daughter To Death With Belt

A man admitted in Bronx court yesterday [May. 2] that he beat his girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter to death with a belt when she refused to do her ABC’s — a form of discipline they call “pow-pow.”



Leon Walters, 25, and girlfriend Sherika Stewart, 22, were slapped with charges of assault and reckless endangerment for the death of Ahyna Louis-Hardy in their Riverdale apartment on Monday.

Both admitted that they used a belt on the girl, law-enforcement sources said.

Walters’ lawyer said in court that he did not directly cause the child’s death.

The couple told cops that in their culture, children get “pow-pow” if they disobey, authorities said yesterday.

Ahyna died at Montefiore Hospital with massive bruises all over her body. The death has not yet been ruled a homicide.