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Seattle woman accused of kicking toddler to death

SEATTLE -- Police say a Seattle woman kicked her boyfriend's 17-month-old toddler to death, reports CBS affiliate KIRO.

Alicia Joni Goemaat, 20, allegedly admitted to kicking the young boy in the stomach, knocking him down, and then kicking him again, according to court documents. The victim, Drue Lehto, died from abdominal injuries.

A week before Lehto's death, he was taken to a hospital for treatment to injuries from a separate incident, according to police.

In that case, he suffered "bruises and scratches that did not appear to be normal for a toddler," according to a Seattle Police report.

Friends of Goemaat and the child's father told investigators the suspect would become extremely agitated when the victim cried and would physically punish him by spanking him or 'flicking' him when he cried.

But a former boyfriend of Goemaat told KIRO that he didn't believe she would harm a child.

"She never seemed like a violent person to me," Josh Bryant said during an Oct. 2 interview. "She was never rough with my kids, or her kid, or anyone else's kid." Goemaat's bail was set at $1 million.

Police say Goemaat tried to commit suicide on Oct. 1, the day before she was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder.

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