Damari Carter: Mother, Boyfriend Convicted in Philadelphia

A Philadelphia jury has convicted the mother of 4-year-old Damari Carter and her boyfriend of third-degree murder in the boy's death in late 2023. Dominique Bailey and Kevin Spencer were found guilty on Monday, October 5, 2026, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, nearly three years after Damari was last seen in the city's Mantua neighborhood.

The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office announced the outcome the following day. Jurors acquitted both defendants of first-degree murder, according to NBC10 Philadelphia and KYW Newsradio, but found them guilty of third-degree murder and a list of related counts. Both are due to be sentenced in December.

Who Was Damari Carter?

According to the District Attorney's Office, Damari moved from Texas to Philadelphia in 2023 with his mother. They stayed at first in the West Philadelphia home of his grandfather, Frank Bailey, who had offered to help care for him. Prosecutors said Damari had developmental delays and was nonverbal.

His relatives last had contact with him in late November 2023, around the time of his fourth birthday.

Assistant District Attorney J. Michael Babineau Jr., one of the two prosecutors who tried the case, said in the office's statement: "The defendants in this case looked to erase Damari Carter without consequence."

What Happened in West Philadelphia?

Prosecutors said Bailey began dating Spencer around October 2023. After her father raised concerns about how Damari was being cared for, she moved out of his home and took the boy with her. The couple then lived in an apartment on the 3800 block of Reno Street in Mantua.

In December 2023, friends told Frank Bailey that his daughter was saying Damari had been struck and killed by a car. According to the District Attorney's Office, both defendants told versions of that story: that Damari was hit near 40th and Lancaster in West Philadelphia, that he was taken to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and that the hospital then lost track of his body. Police found no record of any such crash, and prosecutors said none of the account was true.

Frank Bailey did not accept the explanation. The family handed out missing-person posters, and the District Attorney's Office said the police Special Victims Unit learned about the missing child on December 30, 2023, through local news coverage.

What Evidence Did the Jury Hear?

An eyewitness told investigators she had heard a child crying and sounds of abuse in late November and early December 2023. According to the District Attorney's account as reported by Patch, she set up a camera in the hallway and reported what she had observed to the city's Department of Human Services.

Prosecutors said footage from December 5 to December 9, 2023, showed Damari entering the Reno Street apartment for the last time on December 5, and that audio from the following days recorded the abuse. The footage then showed Spencer leaving with a black duffel bag on December 9. Investigators also recovered deleted videos from a cellphone. A search of the apartment found no sign of Damari or of any children's belongings.

On March 18, 2024, workers with the city's Community Life Improvement Program found Damari's remains, along with the duffel bag, on the 600 block of North 38th Street in Mantua, NBC10 Philadelphia reported. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.

According to the Inquirer, prosecutors argued that Spencer carried out the abuse and that Bailey allowed it and helped conceal the death. Spencer's attorney, Michael McDermott, argued that no one saw either defendant strike the child. Bailey's attorney, Angelo Cameron, argued that she was not present when her son died and that her changing accounts reflected confusion, not deception.

What Were Bailey and Spencer Convicted Of?

The District Attorney's Office said the jury convicted both defendants of the same counts: third-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal use of a communication facility, false reports to law enforcement, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.

NBC10 Philadelphia reported that Bailey was taken into custody for questioning on January 4, 2024, and that Spencer was arrested after police served a search warrant on Reno Street. Both were charged that month.

Were Warning Signs Missed?

The Inquirer reported that the neighbor contacted the Department of Human Services in December 2023 and that no one from the agency appears to have intervened.

Assistant District Attorney John Paul Bezerra credited that witness, along with Special Victims and Homicide detectives, for the outcome. "I am thankful that we were able to secure justice for Damari and his family," he said in the office's statement.

What Happens Next?

Bailey and Spencer are scheduled to be sentenced on December 4, 2026, before Common Pleas Court Judge Roxanne Covington. Under Pennsylvania law, third-degree murder carries a maximum of 40 years in prison.

District Attorney Larry Krasner said in the statement: "Every homicide is tragic, but this case is particularly disturbing on so many levels."

Timeline of the Damari Carter Case

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the verdict in the Damari Carter case?

On October 5, 2026, a Philadelphia jury found Dominique Bailey and Kevin Spencer guilty of third-degree murder, conspiracy, endangering the welfare of a child, abuse of a corpse and related counts. Both were acquitted of first-degree murder.

Who reported Damari Carter missing?

His mother's family raised the alarm. Prosecutors said his grandfather, Frank Bailey, did not believe the story that Damari had been hit by a car, and the family distributed missing-person posters. Police learned of the case from local news coverage on December 30, 2023.

When will Dominique Bailey and Kevin Spencer be sentenced?

Sentencing is set for December 4, 2026, before Judge Roxanne Covington in Philadelphia.

MotiveX covers cases like this in documentary form on YouTube.

Sources

• Philadelphia District Attorney's Office: statement announcing the convictions
• NBC10 Philadelphia: report on the verdict and case history
• The Philadelphia Inquirer: trial coverage and verdict report
• 6abc Philadelphia: report on the jury's decision and sentencing date
• KYW Newsradio: report on the verdict
• Patch Philadelphia: summary of the District Attorney's account
• Hoodline: overview of the case and the sentencing range