Trial continues for man accused of killing Stowe Township toddler

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — The trial for the man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend’s toddler in 2021 continued on Wednesday.

Kyrell Morgan is charged with killing Brielle Swinton, 2, in December 2021.

Javonne Swinton is not only blaming her ex-boyfriend for her daughter’s death, but also told Channel 11 that her daughter died because of a failure of the system.

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“She was my mini-me. I miss her so very much, every single day. It’s just really hard, and challenging to keep pushing forward,” Javonne Swinton told Channel 11′s Gabriella DeLuca.

The jury saw pictures of Brielle’s bedroom, where she was supposed to feel safe and loved. But inside the Stowe Township home, police say Morgan beat the little girl and squeezed her to death.

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“It makes my body cringe. I can’t look at him. He keeps looking back, and it’s devastating. It’s heartbreaking,” Brielle’s godmother, Tam Vaughn told Channel 11.

We also heard from an AGH doctor, who saw Brielle a month before she died. He testified that he made a ChildLine tip for suspected child abuse because her small body was covered in bruises.

ChildLine tips are typically investigated by County Police. However, to this day, County Police Superintendent Chris Kearns will not confirm if detectives ever looked into that tip.

“Shame on you. Shame on the county. Shame on the system. We failed Brielle. They failed her,” Javonne Swinton said.

After Brielle’s death, Allegheny County homicide detectives did do a thorough investigation and charged Morgan in her death. Javonne was originally charged with child neglect, and all of those charges were dropped.

Allegheny County Police investigating child’s death in Stowe Township