Jury convicts Norfolk woman of killing fiance’s toddler
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A Norfolk woman was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of her fiance’s 20-month-old daughter.
The Virginian-Pilot reports (http://bit.ly/1VwZcfW) a jury convicted 24-year-old Emily Defries Thursday.
A paramedic found the toddler at the bottom of a staircase at a home in May 2014. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Prosecutor Jill Harris says Defries shook the child, causing her head to slam into something. An autopsy revealed other injuries sustained days prior to her death, when Defries was watching her.
Harris says Defries staged the child to look like she had fallen down the stairs.
Defries’ lawyer James Broccoletti, said the child’s 8-year-old sister, who he said had been violent to the child, caused the death.
Defries will be formally sentenced in January.
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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com
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