Queens Father Charged With Murder After 2-Year-Old Son Beaten to Death

Dayvon Morrison, 30, was charged with murder after prosecutors say his 2-year-old son, identified as Maliek (also reported as Maliek Williams), died from catastrophic injuries suffered in an alleged beating at the Manhattan View Hotel on 21st Street in Long Island City. Court records and reporting say the child was treated for substantial brain injury, head fractures and a lacerated liver before dying, and prosecutors upgraded charges after the boy’s death.

Prosecutors allege the assault occurred on the night of Jan. 30 in a room on the seventh floor of the Manhattan View Hotel, a building now operating as a homeless shelter. The criminal complaint quoted by investigators says Morrison told police he was intoxicated during the incident, that he woke Jan. 31 and saw multiple bruises on Maliek’s face, and that he “doesn’t remember beating him because he was intoxicated.” Witnesses reportedly flagged the child’s condition to 911 when Morrison dropped off another child at a Manhattan home about 3:25 a.m. on Feb. 2.

The boy was rushed to the hospital and found unconscious and intubated. Queens Gazette reporting, citing a police source, says the mother, identified as Cyndy Williams, arrived to find Maliek with a shaven head, rows of staples and a bandage on the side of his head; the source said the mother “nearly passed out.” AmNY and court documents list the injuries in detail: the child was on a ventilator, suffered a bleed and swelling to the brain, had a blown right pupil, sustained fractures to the head and pelvis, and suffered a lacerated liver.

The mother posted on Instagram while her son fought for life, writing, “My beautiful baby boy was brutally beaten by his father Dayvon Morrison, My baby is fighting for his life in the ICU please, I can’t do anything but pray I asked for prayer from everyone can’t breathe, my baby boy is two years old and the sweetest baby boy.” She later confirmed Maliek’s death in an Instagram post quoted by WABC: “My baby is gone. 2/4/2026 10:26 p.m. I have nothing else to say. I'm done.”

Morrison was initially arrested and arraigned on attempted murder and assault charges in Queens Criminal Court, where he pleaded not guilty and, according to reporting, Judge Lana Schlesinger ordered him held without bail. Detectives escorted Morrison from the stationhouse in handcuffs, and news accounts say he declined to answer reporters’ questions. After the child’s death, prosecutors reportedly upgraded charges; one report says Morrison is to be arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on Feb. 27 on two counts of murder and a charge of acting in a manner injurious to a child.

The Administration for Children’s Services issued a statement saying, “The death of 2-year-old Maliek is a terrible tragedy, and we mourn his loss. Through our intensive review process, we will be reviewing this case to ensure that we are doing everything possible to keep children safe and families supported.” Prosecutors and court filings will determine final counts and next steps as the case moves toward the Feb. 27 proceeding.