Jurors see chilling photos of dead baby
After hearing the district attorney paint a grim picture of Iyonna Brown's short, poverty-filled life, a jury Tuesday morning saw graphic photo after graphic photo of the 10-month-old after she died.
Some images showed the baby's cherub face - chubby cheeks, thick, dark hair, eyes closed as though she were asleep. Her right eye appeared swollen and bruised. Another bruise had settled in above her left eye, and her chin was scraped and bruised.
Some photos showed a single leg, badly burned, the skin sloughed off. One showed her blistered and reddened genital area. Another, showed one of her eyes held open with a medical device, a spot of blood in the white of her eye.
It was a jarring start to the trial of the baby's alleged killer, Akeem Whitfield, 24, who is charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter.
Authorities say Iyonna was burned and beaten while under his supervision at the Woodridge Motel on Lakeshore Drive in Canandaigua on May 30. Iyonna's mother, Heather Brown, is charged with manslaughter because she allegedly did not seek medical attention for her daughter until it was too late; her trial starts March 24.
The jury of 12 was picked Monday. The trial began Tuesday morning with opening arguments from District Attorney R. Michael Tantillo and Whitfield's attorney, Robert Tucker.
link to article: http://www.whec.com/article/stories/S359328.shtml
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