A 14-year-old autistic boy was savagely beaten to death by his “bully” older brother in their home in Hermitage near Nashville, Tennessee while their mother watched, WKRG reports. David Matheny, 33, is said to have stomped on the head of Sayeed Neilson, who suffers from Asperberger’s, while mom Rebecca Greenwood stood by and did nothing to stop it.
- Greenwood and Matheny tried to lie about what happened. After killing Sayeed, the pair allegedly checked on the boy a few times that night before leaving to go out to a local bar. They checked on him again before bed and the next morning before going to a local grocery store to buy cleaning supplies, cleaning the property. Eventually, Greenwood called 911 and claimed that Sayeed had fallen in the bathtub and “bumped his head real hard” but that she didn’t realize just how bad his injuries were. Sadly, Sayeed was pronounced dead at the scene when authorities arrived.
- Detectives knew something was amiss right away. Police soon realized that the injuries on Sayeed’s body didn’t line up with Greenwood’s and Matheny’s story. Eventually, Greenwood cracked under questioning and admitted to police that she watched Matheny beat Sayeed and “[stomp] on his head” during a fight. While she claims to have told him to stop, she says she left the room before ensuring that the beating had ended.
- Sayeed’s family is heartbroken. His aunt, Rachel Duncan, expressed her sadness at Sayeed’s young life being taken away from him. “[Sayeed] didn’t deserve any of this,” she said. “He’s supposed to go on his first date and have his first kiss. He never got any of that and it’s not fair.” While Sayeed suffered from autism, he was said to be pretty much like any other kid his age and had just started high school classes virtually.
- Greenwood and Matheny were placed under arrest. They were booked into Nashville Metro jail on charges of criminal homicide, where they remain at the time of writing. Duncan, who recently learned that her own mother was being abused at the residence by Matheny, largely blames Greenwood for Sayeed’s death. “I just wanted to know why? Why didn’t you protect him? Why didn’t you call someone?” she said. “That’s your baby. You should always protect your child. I know it’s both her kids, but Sayeed was a baby, only 14 compared to his older brother who is 33.”
