BROOKLYN, NY — Ricardo Price, a 26-year-old man from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, has been sentenced to 3 1/3 to 10 years in prison for the fatal injury of his girlfriend’s four-month-old daughter, Royalty Kemp. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced that Price pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter on April 12, 2024, following the tragic incident.
The events leading to this tragedy occurred on June 22, 2021, when Price was caring for the infant at their residence at 93 Lewis Avenue.
During the evening, while the child’s mother was away, Price attempted to quiet the crying child by shaking his leg, causing her head to strike a video game controller repeatedly. The following day, the child’s mother returned to find her daughter lethargic and unable to eat. Royalty became unresponsive that afternoon and was subsequently rushed to Woodhull Medical Center, diagnosed with a skull fracture, and later transferred to Bellevue Hospital where she passed away on July 2, 2021.
An autopsy by the New York City Medical Examiner confirmed the cause of death as abusive head trauma, including skull fractures and hemorrhaging to the brain and parts of the spinal cord.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Paul Hershan and Assistant District Attorney Perry Cerrato of the Special Victims Bureau, with supervision by Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Bureau Chief.
District Attorney Gonzalez expressed his condolences, stating, “Royalty Kemp was a precious infant entrusted by her mother to the defendant’s care. Instead of ensuring the child’s safety, he caused head injuries so severe she died.”