Elysa Ella-Ann Kelemen appears in Eaton County, Michigan, court (WXYZ/YouTube).
A woman has learned her fate for beating her 6-year-old stepson to death in a Michigan hotel room because he knocked over her laptop and she “did not like” him.
Elysa Ella-Ann Kelemen, 34, has been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in the death of 6-year-old Kyron Kelemen, the Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney”s Office announced. She was convicted last month of first-degree felony murder.
Kyron was transferred from his birth mother’s custody years ago due to her self-admitted drug addiction. Angelina Foghino told Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ that “I didn’t protect him … I feel like I failed him.”
The child was placed in the custody of his father and stepmother, Kelemen. But an investigation by the area outlet discovered that the since-convicted defendant had a history of complaints against her, and Foghino argued that child care workers could have removed him from Kelemen’s custody.
In September 2023, Genesee County Children’s Protective Services (CPS) was reportedly told that Kyron came to school “with bruises all over his face.” He had one “black eye” and his other eye was “bloodshot red.”
According to a complaint, the boy’s “whole face is still bruised,” and he had “bruises on his chest” and “in the middle of his rib cage.”
Another allegation came the following month, saying the boy was seen with “a face full of bruises and two broken blood vessels in both eyes.” His father was suspected, but, just like the previous complaint, the claims were not confirmed.
The following month came a more direct warning, WXYZ reported.
“Elysa is physically abusing [Kyron],” that complaint stated. “This is a reoccurring thing.”
The child was removed from his school, and Foghino is said to have messaged Kelemen about the reported abuse. Still, however, the child was not removed from the woman’s care.
Then, Jan. 12, 2024, rolled around, and Kelemen and Kyron were living in a hotel in Delta Township. The woman reportedly admitted that she got angry when he knocked over her laptop and “came down” on his stomach with her knee.
The medical examiner ruled that his cause of death was blunt force injuries of the abdomen and the manner of death was homicide.
During her trial, a former friend of Kelemen reportedly stated that Kelemen “did not like him,” “was sick of taking care of him” and considered him “stupid,” according to a courtroom report by Lansing CBS affiliate WLNS.
It is unclear whether Kyron’s father was ever charged in connection with abuse or his death.
Police also learned that Kelemen was investigated four years earlier after her son died. CPS ended up ruling that there was “no evidence of abuse/neglect” and they closed the case, per the local TV station.
Prosecutors struck a somber note while announcing the defendant’s sentencing.
“Kyron Kelemen was senselessly murdered by someone who should have protected him,” Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney Douglas Lloyd said. “His death resulted from the convicted’s actions and from failures within a child welfare system that ignored clear dangers. Driven by jealousy and cruelty, the convicted stole the life of an innocent child.”
“Kyron was the second child to die under her care—a tragedy that could have been prevented had Genesee County Child Protective Services and law enforcement acted,” Lloyd added. “Today’s life-without-parole sentence cannot begin to reflect the harm she caused. It pales in comparison to the suffering Kyron endured and reinforces why such a sentence is neither cruel nor unusual for someone who so callously extinguished a child’s life.”
