Inset, left to right: Zaquitta I. Joiner-Murphy (Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office) and Da'Quarius Berry (GoFundMe). Background: The block in Milwaukee where Da'Quarius was allegedly killed (WITI).
A 34-year-old mother in Wisconsin has been arrested in connection with the death of her 3-year-old son, who authorities say was beaten so severely that his injuries evinced a "complete and utter disregard for human life."
Zaquitta Joiner-Murphy was taken into custody last week and charged with one count of child neglect resulting in death in the brutal slaying of Da'Quarius Berry, court records show.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Joiner-Murphy called 911 a little before 7 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, seeking medical assistance for her 3-year-old son at her home in the 3200 block of North 29th Street. Joiner-Murphy told investigators she had returned home from dropping off her four other children at the school bus stop and found the victim "unresponsive and not breathing."
Joiner-Murphy claimed she left the house a bit after 6:30 a.m. to take the victim's siblings to the bus and was only gone for about 10 minutes. In an interview with police, the mother said she found her son "lying on his back and foaming from his mouth."
"[Joiner-Murphy] stated that [Da'Quarius] had no injuries or other medical history since he was born that would lead to his condition when she arrived back at the residence," the affidavit states.
Emergency medical personnel transported Da'Quarius to Children's Wisconsin's Emergency Department for treatment. Doctors attempted lifesaving procedures for nearly an hour, but were unable to resuscitate the boy, who was pronounced dead at about 8:41 a.m., the document states.
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"Medical staff located a large hemorrhage in [Da'Quarius'] abdomen that would have been caused by non-accidental trauma," the affidavit states. "The injuries sustained by [Da'Quarius] shows that the actor acted with complete and utter disregard for human life."
In an interview with police, Joiner-Murphy said the victim woke up at about 5:45 a.m. that morning and was "acting normal and running around" the family home. She claimed she had left the victim in the care of her boyfriend while she drove the school-age children to the bus. The boyfriend was still at the home when she returned and found her son unresponsive and "lifeless," per the affidavit.
In addition to her boyfriend, Joiner-Murphy said a female friend named "Peaches," who lived in the apartment upstairs, would sometimes check on the five children when Joiner-Murphy was working at night. Joiner-Murphy said she had worked the previous evening — Nov. 5 — and that Peaches had checked on the kids.
However, when questioned by police, Peaches said that from Nov. 5 through Nov. 7, she had been staying with her grandmother. The grandmother later confirmed those dates with police and provided investigators with home surveillance footage showing her granddaughter was at her home.
"[Peaches] was not responsible for watching the Defendant's children during the evening of Nov. 5, into the morning of Nov. 6," the affidavit states.
During a follow-up interview, police said Joiner-Murphy changed portions of her story. She allegedly admitted that on the night of Nov. 5, she and her boyfriend had stayed at her place until about midnight, before "leaving the five children home alone" to get some food. They returned home briefly, but left again at 1:30 a.m. to go to "Kickbacks," where Joiner-Murphy tended bar until about 5:30 a.m.
"The Defendant confirmed that 'Peaches' was not home during this time and the Defendant left her five children home alone," police wrote.
On the morning of Nov. 6, Joiner-Murphy said her boyfriend was asleep in the bedroom when she took the kids to the bus. She then went to the store and returned to find [Da'Quarius] asleep on the couch. After taking a shower, Joiner-Murphy said she went to change the victim, only to find that his "body was limp" and his mouth was "filled with a foamy mucus." That's when she screamed and her boyfriend called 911.
"The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of [Da'Quarius] are ongoing," police wrote. "As of the filing of this complaint, the Defendant is one of two suspects who had the opportunity to inflict the blunt force trauma to [Da'Quarius'] abdomen. Additionally, the investigation by the Milwaukee Police Department established that the Defendant left her five children home alone unattended from approximately midnight on November 5, 2025, through 5:45 AM on November 6, 2025."
Joiner-Murphy is currently being held in the Milwaukee County Jail on $50,000 cash-only bond, records show. She is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 21.
A GoFundMe for the victim's funeral and memorial services can be found here.
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