Baby Zuri Whitehead beaten to death by 11-year-old girl: Accused denies murder charge

An 11-year-old girl has been charged with the beating to death of two-month-old baby Zuri Whitehead.

The girl was with her mother who was babysitting Zuri, the newborn of a friend in Wickliffe, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. She allegedly struck the baby while her mother slept on the couch. The girl then woke her mother at around 3am, holding the badly injured baby.

Wickliffe police said the infant suffered bleeding and "massive brain injuries". Her kidneys and liver were also damaged and she had extensive internal bleeding. The baby was flown to a children's trauma centre in Cleveland where she died.

The accused appeared at Lake County Juvenile Court in Ohio where she was charged with the infant's death. She denies murder and was ordered to take part in a competency hearing.

According to broadcast channel WOIO, she sat silently with her head down as the judge addressed her.

Wickliffe police chief Randy Ice said she appeared to not show any remorse: "I'm not sure she appreciated the gravity of what she did. We're having a hard time getting (our) heads around this."

The mother of Zuri Whitehead had left the baby with her friend to look after overnight so she could have some respite. They had known each other for about five years.