Darryl Grant remembers Makaila Thompson as the adorable girl next door.
"She was a fun little girl," he said. "She'd come outside, say 'hi.' She was real full of life."
Grant was shocked to hear the 2 1/2-year-old died while being watched by her mother's boyfriend, Robert Bradwell.
On Monday, authorities charged Bradwell, 36, with first-degree murder of a child.
"I would never think he would do something like that because he loves the kids so much," Grant said.
Bradwell watched Makaila and her 4-year-old brother Sept. 5 while their mother, Monique Thompson, worked, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
He moved into their home at 14204 N. 20th St., Apt. B, about a year ago.
Bradwell took Makaila to University Community Hospital about 9:30 p.m., and she was pronounced dead.
He told authorities that she fell into the bathtub while he was outside drinking beer and smoking marijuana with friends, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.
An autopsy Sept. 6 determined Makaila had been beaten and killed, Carter said.
Bradwell has a history of violence. Deputies arrested him in July on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge. He was found guilty of misdemeanor domestic battery in 1997 and 2002.
Carla Coonce, who has known Bradwell for about 30 years, said he had a tough childhood, but she couldn't imagine him hurting a child. He frequently babysat her children several years ago.
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