Rodeo man told cops he and his girlfriend beat her 2-year-old son to death for grabbing vape pen and eating Doritos, police say

Baby girl suffered 26 broken ribs, internal injuries

RODEO — In the hours following the death of 2-year-old King Kemp from internal injuries sustained during multiple prolonged beatings, his mother’s 21-year-old boyfriend allegedly described to police how he and King’s mother would “discipline” her toddler boy and baby girl simultaneously — he would hold the children down and she would punch.

According to police, Tyshawn Haywood’s confession painted a picture of rampant physical abuse inside the Rodeo apartment where Haywood lived with his girlfriend, Destiny Deboe, and Deboe’s two children: King and a 10-month-old girl whose name is being protected by the alias Jane Doe. Haywood and Deboe were charged with murder, child abuse, and torture by the end of the police investigation.

Investigators have also learned that Deboe recently relocated to the Bay Area from Ohio, shortly after police there opened a child abuse investigation against her.

Medical records revealed evidence of extensive, prolonged abuse of both children, which was so severe that authorities feared Doe would die as a result of her injuries. However, after initially denying involvement in the abuse, Haywood allegedly gave a statement and penned an apology letter admitting to not only striking King with his hands but also beating him with a belt’s metal strap with Deboe’s assistance, then placing the young child in a cold bath after he became unconscious.

When the couple realized the boy was dead, they allegedly made up a story about King drowning during his nightly bath. Hours later, in a police interrogation room, Haywood allegedly told a different story: Deboe and Haywood got into an argument after King took Deboe’s vape pen and started eating Doritos he wasn’t supposed to have.

However, King’s autopsy, along with Doe’s hospital records, would show police that King died as a result of long-term physical abuse, not a single attack. The boy had nine broken ribs, heart, liver, lungs, and spleen damage, bruising all over his body, scars on his chest and neck, and evidence of an older injury to his skull. According to authorities, the baby girl suffered similarly heinous injuries, including 26 broken ribs, hemorrhaging in her eye, brain bleeding, and amphetamine in her system.

The couple resided in a Rodeo apartment on the 300 block of California Street. Deboe was a self-employed hairstylist who advertised braiding services ranging from $140 to $230 on her Instagram page, which has since been inundated with comments labeling her a “monster” and a “baby killer.” Authorities say she had recently moved to California from Ohio, where she was being investigated for alleged child abuse, and that she had sent for Haywood to join her in Rodeo just weeks before King’s death.

On the evening of Oct. 2, Contra Costa County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the apartment for a reported drowning, but authorities now claim that was just a cover story concocted to cover up the abuse. That night, Haywood and Deboe were arrested, and the children were rushed to a nearby hospital, where King was pronounced dead. Authorities say his sister survived despite extensive injuries and organ damage.

Haywood initially denied involvement in child abuse in a police interrogation room, claiming that he was out buying marijuana and going to the store at the time. According to police, Haywood’s story changed three days later in a second interview.

This time, Haywood allegedly told investigators that he repeatedly beat the children with a belt strap and that he would hold them down while Deboe punched them. He went on to say that on the night of King’s death, Haywood had picked up the boy by his arm and repeatedly hit him, knocking him out. According to authorities, he expressed regret for the abuse near the end of the interview.

Haywood and Deboe have been imprisoned in lieu of more than $3 million bail and are still awaiting a preliminary hearing, during which a judge will review evidence and decide whether there is enough to uphold the charges.