July 06, 2023
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Charles Acosta, 25, was arrested for allegedly killing a 2-year-old Berks County boy in May. Acosta was watching his girlfriend's children when the child suffered severe internal injuries and head trauma.
A Philadelphia man was arrested Thursday morning for the May death of a 2-year-old boy in Berks County.
The U.S. Marshals took Charles Acosta, 25, into custody at 6:00 a.m. on the 7100 block of Torresdale Avenue. He is being charged with murder and faces additional charges of endangering a child.
The child's mother, who Acosta was dating at the time, asked the man to look after the boy and his siblings on May 4 at her home on the 600 block of Schuylkill Avenue in Reading, according to multiple media reports.
At 6 am this morning, investigators from @USMS_Philly @BerksDA and @PhillyPolice arrested Charles Acosta, 25, in the 7100 block of Torresdale Ave in Philadelphia. Acosta was wanted for the murder of a 2-year-old child which occurred May 2023 in Reading, Pennsylvania. pic.twitter.com/GzV5U8xGHw
— USMS Philadelphia (@USMS_Philly) July 6, 2023
Acosta called his girlfriend to come home because he was concerned about her son's medical status, FOX29 reported. The child was "swollen and lethargic," throwing up blood.
The boy was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital, where doctors said he was suffering from abdominal bruises, brain trauma and his private areas were enlarged, prosecutors said. He was then flown to Hershey Medical Center for emergency surgery but did not improve and died the next day.
Acosta was unable to provide any reasonable explanation as to how the child suffered the injuries, which led to the criminal charges, prosecutors said.
