FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Brownsville Mother Sentenced to 17 Years in prison for
Fatally Beating her 4-Year-Old Son with a Broomstick
Became Enraged when Boy Dropped Egg on the Floor;
Left Injured Victim inside Large Container Filled with Water
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a 28-year-old woman from Brownsville, Brooklyn has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for beating her 4-year-old son, Zamair Coombs, with a broomstick and leaving him to die.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “Little Zamair was an innocent boy who did not deserve to die. It is truly disturbing that his mother, the person who was supposed to care for his wellbeing and safety, viciously beat him and left him for dead. The defendant has now accepted responsibility for her brutal actions and today’s sentence ensures that she is punished for this crime.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Zarah Coombs, 28, of Brownsville, Brooklyn. She was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Miriam Cyrulnik to 17 years in state prison and five years’ post-release supervision following her guilty plea last month to first-degree manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on January 25, 2017, Zamair, 4, asked his mother for food. When she refused, the boy went to the refrigerator to get something to eat and accidentally dropped an egg on the floor. The defendant became enraged, grabbed a broomstick and beat her son until he lost consciousness. She then placed the victim inside a large Tupperware container that functioned as a tub and was filled with some water, and left him there while she went to breastfeed her newborn.
The defendant’s boyfriend, who had been out of the home, returned at approximately 8:45 p.m., discovered the child unresponsive and called 911. Zamair was taken to Brookdale Hospital where he died hours later. He was covered by more than 30 blunt impact injuries to his head and more than 30 blunt impact injuries to his limbs and torso, according to the evidence. The cause of death was determined to be these multiple blunt impact injuries as well as a brain injury.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Linda Weinman, of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Bureau Chief.
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