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

RODEO — In the hours after 2-year-old King Kemp died from internal injuries suffered during multiple prolonged beatings, his 21-year-old mother’s boyfriend allegedly described to police how he and King’s mother would “discipline” her toddler boy and baby girl in tandem — he would hold them down and she would punch.

Police say that the confession by 21-year-old Tyshawn Haywood painted a picture of rampant physical abuse inside the Rodeo apartment where Haywood lived with his girlfriend, 22-year-old Destiny Deboe, and Deboe’s two children, King, and a 10-month-old girl whose name is being protected by the pseudonym Jane Doe. By the end of the police investigation, Haywood and Deboe had been charged with murder, child abuse, and torture, and investigators learned that Deboe had recently moved to the Bay Area from Ohio shortly after police there opened a child abuse investigation against her, according to authorities.

Medical records showed evidence of extensive, prolonged abuse to both children that was so bad authorities feared at one point that Doe would succumb to her injuries as well. But after 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 the metal strap on a belt as Deboe assisted, then placing him in a cold bath after the young child went unconscious.

When they realized the boy was mortally injured, the couple allegedly concocted a story about King drowning during his nightly bath. Hours later, in a police interrogation room, Haywood allegedly told a different tale: that Deboe and Haywood lost their temper after King grabbed Deboe’s vape pen and began eating Doritos he wasn’t allowed to have.

But King’s autopsy — along with Doe’s hospital records — would demonstrate to police that King’s death was the result of prolonged physical abuse, not a onetime attack. The boy suffered nine broken ribs, damage to his heart, liver, lungs, and spleen, bruising all over his body, scars on his chest and neck, and evidence of an older injury to his skull. The baby girl suffered equally horrific injuries, including 26 broken ribs, hemorrhaging in her eye, brain bleeding, and amphetamine in her system, according to authorities.

The couple lived in an apartment on the 300 block of California Street in Rodeo. Before her arrest, Deboe was a self-employed hairstylist who advertised braiding services from $140 to $230, on an Instagram page that has since been flooded with comments calling her a “monster” and a “baby killer.” Authorities say she had recently moved to California from Ohio, where authorities were investigating her for alleged abuse of her children, and that she’d sent for Haywood to come join her in Rodeo just weeks before King’s death.

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

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

This time, Haywood allegedly told investigators he beat the children with a belt strap on numerous occasions, and that other times he would hold them down while Deboe would punch them. He added that on the night of King’s death, Haywood had picked the boy up by his arm and hit him repeatedly, causing King to go unconscious. Toward the end of the interview, he said he regretted the abuse, according to authorities.

Haywood and Deboe have been jailed in lieu of more than $3 million and are still awaiting a preliminary hearing where a judge will review evidence and decide if there is enough to uphold the charges.