A man who shook his two-year-old stepdaughter so violently she fell into a coma and died , has been charged with her murder . David Adams , 25 , had been charged with assault and child endangerment in November after acknowledging having shaken Thaiya Spruill-Smith , according to the authorities . He had recently been released from prison after four when his family posted a bail bond but he was rearrested on Wednesday after the Brooklyn district attorney upgraded the charges against him , according to the New York Times . Yesterday he appeared in Brooklyn Criminal Court on a charge of second-degree murder . He hung his head during his 15 minute appearance . Assistant district attorney Frank DeGaetano said in court : 'He shook her several times . Thaiya Spruill-Smith , two , was taken off life support after suffering a brain hemorrhage . Stepfather David Adams , 25 , has now been charged with her murder . 'He made her hit her head . She had multiple abrasions and contusions , 17 on her head , and she had damage to the axons and neurons in her brain consistent with massive brain damage . ' Thaiya had been declared brain-dead in November after Adams said he shook her and she was admitted to a hospital with bleeding in the brain , retinal hemorrhaging and bruises . The incident leading to Thaiya 's death occurred on November 12 when her mum Teoka Spruill left her Brooklyn apartment for about an hour , leaving Thaiya with Adams . According to a criminal complaint , Adams told police he held Thaiya off the ground , causing her head 'to rotate forward and back rapidly several times , ' and the girl 's body then went limp . He again shook her , so hard her head swiveled again several times , and then her body went rigid . Thaiya was asleep when Ms Spruill returned , she said , and the child woke once during the night to ask for juice . Ms Spruill called an ambulance next morning when she heard Thaiya struggling for breath . The youngster was rushed to Brookdale Hospital shortly before 7am and despite numerous operations , doctors concluded her injuries were too severe to overcome and she was eventually taken off life support . It has since emerged that Thaiya may have been the victim of months of abuse at the hands of Adams that was investigated by New York City social services . Ms Spruill and Thaiya 's father Terrell Smith disagreed over whether to donate her organs after the toddler was declared brain dead two days after the incident . A judge ordered Brookdale to keep the child on life support for at least another day to keep her organs alive until the girl 's parents resolved their dispute . 'She was born with that , she 's going to be buried with that , her body , her eyes - it 's what makes her her , ' Smith told the New York Times from Thaiya 's hospital bed in Brookdale Hospital , New York . Thaiya 's father Terrell Smith says she was being systematically abused by her mother 's new husband . 'My daughter was born with that , and she 's going to lie down with the same thing . ' Speaking separately , Spruill told the paper : ' I just think it would be a blessing for someone else 's family . ' As organ and tissue donation can only occur when there is agreement among family members , it was eventually ruled Thaiya 's organs would not be donated . The parental dispute is reportedly the latest in a series spanning Thaiya 's lifetime , as Smith claims he made repeated attempts to save her from Adams , who he claims was abusive . Relatives made emotional tributes to the 'smart ' and 'sweet ' girl at the time of Adams ' first appearance in court . 'Thai , she was like the sweetest little girl ever , like you would n't have problems with her ever , ' Shayne Smith , Thaiya 's uncle , told Time Warner Cable . 'She was very smart - very , very smart . ' According to court documents , Adams admitted to shaking Thaiya when questioned . And police sources say there are records of a similar shaking incident in the household last month . At his first appearance Adams , who married Thaiya 's mother in March , wept before prosecutors in court as they told him the two-year-old had died . 'He was shocked . He was very , very upset , ' defense attorney Joseph Sieger told the New York Post . Smith said social services took custody of the little girl for a week while they investigated Adams for abuse . She was returned and the case was dropped , he said . The ACS has refused to confirm or deny Smith 's claims due to confidentiality restrictions .
Thaiya Spruill-Smith died after 'being violently shaken by stepfather ' Youngster 's life support had to be switched off at Brooklyn hospital after she was declared brain dead two days later following hemorrhage . David Adams , 25 , has had assault and child endangerment charges upgraded to second-degree murder and appeared in court yesterday . Thaiya 's father wanted her to be buried with her organs , her mother wanted to donate them to children in need . The organs now can not be donated because 'there must be agreement among family members '