NYC man accused of starving son, 4, to death beat up at Rikers: lawyer
MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) --- The Manhattan man accused of starving his 4-year-old son to death has been attacked by other inmates at Rikers Island as his lawyers fight to get him into protective custody, according to his defense attorney.
Laron Modlin, 25, was arraigned Wednesday for murder, manslaughter, assault, and criminally negligent homicide in connection to the death of Jah’Meik Modlin last month, authorities said. The boy weighed 19 pounds when he died.
The bearded defendant, dressed in beige prison clothes, pleaded not guilty during the brief court appearance in Manhattan.
"At least twice he was attacked in the unit by other inmates in response to the news and media," defense attorney Jessica Horani told the judge while arguing to keep photographers from taking his picture in court. "We're trying to get him into protective custody."
Modlin and the boy's mother, Nytavia Ragsdale, 26, are accused of starving their four children for years while treating themselves to fresh food daily, according to prosecutors. The parents allegedly filled their fridge with fresh groceries but turned it to the wall so their four kids couldn’t open the door, according to court records. Any cabinet containing food had a zip tie on the handle.
Jah’Meik’s siblings — ages 5, 6, and 7 — were hospitalized for malnutrition and are slowly recovering their lost motor skills, including being able to hold utensils, according to court records.
“Jah’Meik and his siblings were not in school and had not seen a doctor in over two years. The defendants kept any family or friends from visiting in person, limiting communication to phone or video chats, continuing to isolate the children, and hiding each of their deteriorating conditions,” prosecutors said.
Police responded to a 911 call of an unconscious child in a home on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard in Harlem around 7:45 p.m. on Oct. 13, according to authorities. The boy died of neglect and malnutrition the next morning.
Jak’Meik and his siblings had dirt under their nails and feces stuck in their hair when they arrived at the hospital, officials said. Prosecutors said one room in the three-bedroom apartment was covered in filth and debris, including feces on the walls.
“The death of Jah’Meik Modlin, an innocent 4-year-old child, is a tragedy that has scarred this city. That he died a slow and painful death, starving alongside his older siblings, somehow isolated in the heart of Harlem, is a stain on our collective conscience,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said last week.
Ragsdale, who is also charged with murder, manslaughter, assault, and criminally negligent homicide, was arraigned last week and is held without bail, according to court records.
The parents are due back in court on Dec. 18.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She has been with PIX11 News for two years. See more of her work here.