He made a Mother’s Day card for his grandmother, so his mother hit him repeatedly, police say

A South Carolina woman is facing child cruelty charges after she allegedly hit her son multiple times “really hard” and on the head, according to the boy’s sister.

Shontrell Murphy was arrested Friday in Spartansburg County, South Carolina, after a woman called 911 saying her daughter had slapped her grandchild, per WYFF. When police arrived, they found the woman with two grandchildren, one crying, in the front yard, and the woman repeated her claim that her daughter had been abusing her grandson, a 6-year-old.

Police say Murphy told them that she had disciplined her son for behavioral issues as school, but that she had struck him “hard or in a violent manner,” according to WYFF.

The child and his sister, however, told police that their mother hits them all the time and that they are afraid of her, according to WBRC.

When the grandmother was asked why Murphy had struck the child most recently, she reportedly said, “because she could,” per WSPA. The child’s sister said the latest incident began when he made a Mother’s Day card for his grandmother and not Murphy, which the girl said threw her into a rage, per WRBC.

The girl told police that Murphy tore up the card the child had made and began hitting him violently on the back, side and front of the head, per WBRC. Police say they found a torn-up handwritten card at the scene.

The child was transported to a local hospital and later released after it was determined he had suffered no lasting physical trauma, according to WSPA.

According to court records, a bond hearing was held for Murphy on Friday, and as of Saturday evening she is not listed on the inmate roster for Spartansburg County Sherrif’s Office.

This story was originally published May 13, 2017 at 9:04 PM with the headline "He made a Mother’s Day card for his grandmother, so his mother hit him repeatedly, police say."